3 Men, 1 Dog Make Way Through Freezing Water After Boat Swamped In Utah Lake, Officials Say
Dec 9, 2019, 11:22 AM
(Photo provided by the Utah County Sheriff's Office)
SPANISH FORK, Utah – Three men and a dog survived freezing water after their boat swamped in high winds, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a UCSO statement, dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 8:50 a.m. Sunday from a man who said he was duck hunting with two friends on Utah Lake when high winds and waves caused their boat to swamp.
The three men and a dog then had to make their way through chest-deep water that authorities said was 36 degrees, according to UCSO Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
He also noted that the 8- to 12-foot-tall wetland grasses made it difficult for the group to navigate their surroundings.
It took thee men and the dog about an hour to make it to shore, Cannon wrote in the statement.
“A responding deputy had the heater in his Tahoe on high,” according to UCSO. “The men got to their own vehicles to get warm. The dog, on the other hand, decided it like the heat and curled up on the front passenger side of the deputy’s floor.”
All three men and the dog suffered from hypothermia, but they are all expected to recover without problems.
“People should be aware and recognize that when storms come up on Utah Lake, conditions can quickly become life-threatening,” according to the sheriff’s office statement. “When adverse weather is possible, people should make their way off the lake as soon as possible.”