Life vests and fellow boaters saved the lives of two men whose boat partially capsized on Oneida Lake on Sunday, July 27, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
The two men went fishing about 8:30 a.m. in a 16-foot Starcraft vessel, deputies learned after an investigation. The boat experienced a mechanical failure in rough waters and began taking on water, partially capsizing.
Both men, wearing life vests, ended up in the lake for about five hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s Marine Patrol United responded to a report of a capsized vehicle near Godfrey Point at about 2:25 p.m. But another boater had pulled one of the men to safety before the sheriff’s boat arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
But he told rescuers that there was another person on the boat, still drifting.
But soon afterward, another boater found the second man in the water and pulled him to safety, according to the sheriff’s office.
Both men were taken to shore and evaluated by emergency medical services personnel as a precaution.
The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Cleveland Fire Department, the Sylvan Beach Fire Department and Vineall Ambulance.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida Lake rescue: Good Samaritans pull two men to safety five hours after boat capsized
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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