Body camera video shows missing fisherman’s rescue at Lake Tawakoni
Missing boater rescued at Lake Tawakoni | RAW
Texas Game Wardens released body camera video that shows the moment they pulled a man out of Lake Tawakoni. His boat struck a submerged stump during a local fishing tournament and he was ejected. While he can be heard thanking them, they said he's likely alive today because he chose to wear a life jacket.
LAKE TAWAKONI, Texas - Texas Game Wardens released video of a fisherman’s rescue at Lake Tawakoni. The man spent more than three hours in the water after being thrown from his boat.
Lake Tawakoni boater rescued
What we know:
The rescue happened on Saturday morning during a local fishing tournament.
Texas Game Wardens in Rains County said they got a call around 7:15 a.m. about a missing boater who had been thrown from his vessel after striking a stump in the lake.
Search crews scoured the water for several hours before they spotted the man in the distance with binoculars.
The video shows them pulling up to the tired fisherman.
"We got you. Hang on," the game wardens said. "Just watch it. We got you now."
The man told the rescuers he was tired because he’d been in the water for almost four hours by that point.
Fisherman thrown from boat rescued safely from Lake Tawakoni after multi-agency search
A fisherman participating in a local tournament on Lake Tawakoni was rescued Saturday morning after spending more than three hours in the water following a boating accident, Texas Game Wardens said.
Big picture view:
The Texas Game Wardens gave the man credit for using two pieces of safety equipment that helped to save his life – a life jacket and his boat’s emergency engine cutoff switch.
"Always wear a life jacket and use your engine cutoff switch. They only work if you use them," the agency said on social media.
Dig deeper:
Lake Tawakoni is about a hour east of Dallas.
The fisherman who was rescued is reportedly from Royse City in Rockwall County.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a news release from the Texas Game Wardens.