CORRECTED: Coast Guard rescues mariner after 4 hours in cold water

Boat operator: life jacket saved his life

(Editor's Note: the original press release incorrectly stated that the man who was rescued was not wearing a life jacket, when in fact he was. The initial report that he had been holding on to a floating cooler was also incorrect.)

A Coast Guard boat crew from Station Alpena, Mich., rescued a man who was in 60-degree water in Lake Huron for almost four hours after his boat capsized near Stoneport, Mich., Sept. 6.

Besides the life jacket, the man was using floating seat cushions to provide additional floatation.

There were two men on the pontoon boat when it capsized. The second man swam to shore and called for help. It is unclear how far he swam and whether or not he was wearing a life jacket while he swam.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit learned of the accident at about noon EST and immediately dispatched search crews aboard a helicopter from Air Station Traverse City, Mich., and the boat from Station Alpena.

The boat crew located the man, who was showing signs of hypothermia at about 2 p.m., EST and brought him aboard their rescue boat. They also brought an Alpena City EMT who had been on a nearby boat from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to evaluate him. Once safely transported ashore, he was transferred to awaiting EMS who took him to a local hospital for further evaluation.

"The life jacket definitely saved this person's life and gave him the ability to keep his head above the water for an extended period of time," said Chief Petty Officer Mark Szoboszlay, coxswain of the rescue boat and officer in charge of Station Alpena.

"When I grabbed his hand to pull him aboard (the rescue boat), I could tell he had no energy left," said Szoboszlay. "He was very weak and hypothermic, and without the life jacket the outcome may not have been so favorable.

"I'm just extremely glad that he was able to go home to his family."

The Coast Guard recommends that all people recreating on the water wear a lifejacket at all times and encourages mariners to invest in a VHF-FM marine-band radio as their primary means of communication on the water.

VHF-FM Channel 16, the international hailing and distress channel, is monitored by the Coast Guard and state marine patrols around the clock. In addition, distress calls broadcast over VHF-FM Channel 16 will be heard by all mariners in the vicinity. Urgent safety information and weather reports for boaters are also broadcast over marine band radio channels.

For more information or media inquiries, contact the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (216) 902-6020 .

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