By Adam Troxtell
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN, Okla. — Norman firefighters rescued four people from a sinking fishing boat Thursday afternoon from Lake Thunderbird.
Two adults and two children were rescued by Norman Fire Department’s Rescue Boat 6 and taken to shore without any injuries. Little Axe Fire Department then used its rescue boat to take the group’s stricken vessel to shore.
“All were wearing life jackets, fortunately,” said Justin Lechman, a driver/engineer with Norman Fire Department who took part in the rescue. “Their boat had already been beached along the shore. Thankfully, the driver of the boat helped us out a bunch by realizing what to do.”
Public Safety Information Officer Sarah Jensen said four Norman Fire Department units responded to a distress call at around 2:45 p.m. Firefighters determined the Indian Point boat ramp would be the best place to launch their boat and traveled between a quarter of a mile and a mile north.
Around there, they found a fishing boat that had taken on water. The craft was traveling on the lake when it struck something under the water, causing a three-foot gash in the bottom.
The driver steered the boat into shallow water and managed to beach the craft by the time firefighters arrived. None of the individuals suffered any injuries.
“He maneuvered closer to the shore, so if it did sink, it would be beached and it would be shallow enough for the individuals to touch the bottom [of the lake],” Lechman said.
Lechman and fellow firefighter Dylan Terhune took the group back to Indian Point, where they were transported back to their truck. In the meantime, Little Axe Fire Department launched its boat to tow the group’s craft back to the ramp so they could take it home.
It is not known exactly what caused the gash in the boat.
“That lakes got stumps, depending on how shallow they were,” Lechman said, noting it could have been just about anything.
While the boat was used over the weekend to patrol Lake Thunderbird for the Memorial Day holiday, this was Lechman’s first water rescue.
He said the boat will continue to be an asset for the fire department, especially during times of flash flooding.
“They’re going to be a big asset, I think,” he said about the water rescue equipment. “Not just on the lake, but also during flood season.”
Copyright 2017 The Norman Transcript