first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

[HollieMac]

A 46 yr old man drowned in Clearfork Reservoir, north of Lexington, OH, two weeks ago. He was fishing from his boat not far from the marina and noticed a dog swimming around. Thinking the dog was in trouble, he attempted to put a life vest on the dog and fell overboard while trying to "save" the dog.

The water is 41 degrees and he didn't last long.
According to the dog owner, who was nearby on shore, the dog was taking its usual victory lap after retreiving a duck shot by his master.

You can google the story online at the News Journal for Mansfield, OH

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

very odd. The fisherman didn't hear the shotgun or see the duck being retrieved, the hunter didn't call out to the fisherman, and the hunter was hunting near a marina.

Not saying the story wasn't in the paper; just pondering.

But that cold water will get you right away.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

Sad "HollieMac", just sad, and preventable. Thanks for the reminder though. Like "Home Cookin" said, Hypothermia happens very quickly.

 

[HollieMac]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

Thanks for your comments. It is sad, it really took me by surprise because I am around this lake at least once a week and have been a frequent visitor all my life. It is a "NFA" lake (my anacronym for No Fun Allowed) because it is a small reservoir for drinking water, very shallow--4 to 6 feet in many areas, and they are very strict about No wading NO swimming No wake, No staying after dusk,etc, etc.
That they even allow duck hunters to use dogs to swim out to retreive ducks surprises me. I hang out around the lake all through spring migration just to see the buffleheads and mergansers come in for a couple of weeks and it's the most fun I can have on a winter day there--trying to sneak up on the ducks so I can watch them for awhile. I love the pretty little things.

The man who died was a city worker, and I am sure a good-hearted soul. Bizarre that he was completely unaware of the duck hunter and that the dog was far enough away that the hunter didn't keep a closer eye on his dog--why would the dog want to swim in such cold water?
Here is a link to the story, hopefully it will work for you

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011110310302

 

[HollieMac]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

Dear Cookin,
I agree! Those same questions were in my mind, and the story presented no answers.
But they are allowed to hunt from the shoreline around the lake and from boats as well.
That's putting alot of faith in the hunter's aim and eyesight, isn't it?
There isn't much of an explanation in the story in the paper, but I posted a link that should take you to it.
It's a reservoir that is basically round and open to the prevailing wind and the hunter said it was windy and he thought he heard yelling but didn't know what was going on. !?!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

There's an old saying " It won't kill you to wear your Life Jacket (PFD)"... it's a lot truer than most people think.

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

Spent 30 minutes sitting on the bottom of the lake a couple weeks back, doing some repair work on my mooring before I pulled the boat out. Water was about 50, and I was wearing a wetsuit intended for summer diving. Thirty minutes in the water gave me about an hr and a half of heavy violent shivers under a pile of blankets, once I warmed up enough to start shivering... Not exactly smart, but expecting the cold, I had my warm dry place set up, and the boat was right over head in case it became too much and I needed to stop and get out before my work was done.

Its kind of a creepy feeling. You expect your joints to feel stiff and to be slow, like any time your hands get cold in the winter, but even your brain starts to get stiff and slow. It's hard to think after a point.

I can't imagine being in cold water without any gear on at all, and I can understand why the mortality rate is so high for people exposed like that. :/

 

[jigngrub]

Re: first drowning in shallow clearfork reservoir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1xohI3B4Uc