Press Release

Five rescued after boat capsizes on Buckeye Lake
Dive team, bystander help bring passengers to shore
By L.B. WHYDE and JIM SABIN Advocate Reporters

BUCKEYE LAKE -- Five people were rescued from Buckeye Lake after the
boat they were riding in started to sink Wednesday morning.

About 200 people watched as the boat capsized shortly before the July
4 boat parade was to pass by.

Adam Wiseman, 24, of New Lexington, was taken to a hospital after the
incident because of a medical condition, not an injury.

A woman was pulled from the water after attempting to swim to shore.
The woman was not injured, but John Bullock, of the Tri-County Dive
and Rescue Team, said she nearly drowned. It was unclear which woman
made the swim for shore.
Wiseman was on the boat with driver Gary Russell, 53, of New
Lexington; Kira McGlone, 25, of Corning; Tavian Russell, 4, of New
Lexington; and Devon Russell, 33, of New Lexington, said Tony DeLong,
area supervisor for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division
of Watercraft.

The incident happened at about 11:40 a.m. near the North Shore boat
ramp about 75 feet offshore, said witness Pat Love, of Newark.

The bass boat was entering the no-wake zone near the boat ramp when
Russell shut down the motor, Bullock said.

The low-profile boat started taking on water and started to sink,
then flipped over. Bullock said too much weight might have been on
the front, but DeLong said that still was being investigated.

Brian Carle, of Baltimore, went to the boat on a personal water craft
and took the boy to safety, then returned and brought a second person
ashore, DeLong said. Bullock's team brought the other three ashore,
and the boat was towed ashore before it sank.

Bullock first was notified of the accident when he heard the roar of
the crowd from the station the dive and rescue team sets up every
holiday in case of emergencies. He ran to the rescue boat and, along
with two other dive team members, went to help the woman who was
halfway to shore.

"I've been in this business for 22 years, and you can see it in their
eyes," Bullock said. "She almost drowned. She looked like she was on
her last leg."

The rescue team moved the woman to the boat ramp by pulling her
through the water.

The boy was wearing a life jacket, but none of the adults were,
DeLong said. Enough life jackets were available on the boat, he said.

Contact the reporters at (740) 328-8821 or at
advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

Five Saved After Fourth Of July Boating Accident

Friday, Jul 06, 2007 - 03:33 PM Updated: 05:32 PM By Brad Pauquette

NEWARK, Ohio – Five people nearly drowned during a terrifying Fourth
of July outing.

Five people, including a four-year-old boy, were enjoying a day on
the water when their boat capsized, NBC 4's Barb Flannigan reported.

The Tri-County Dive and Rescue Team was set up at Buckeye Lake on
Independence Day when one rescuer, John Bullock, said he heard
screams for help.

A bass boat had capsized about 75 feet from the boat ramp and
reportedly tossed all five passengers aboard the craft into the cold,
choppy water.

Bullock and his colleagues sped to the rescue, saving one victim who
struggled to stay afloat, Flannigan reported.

"We turned around and she went under the water," Bullock said. "When
we got up to her she started to go under water again and the guys
grabbed a hold of her."

The rescue team was able to save this woman and two other people.

"A man on a personal watercraft joined the rescue effort," Bullock
explained. "He managed to get a four-year-old boy to safety and then
went back on the water and rescued a second person."

According to officials, only the child was wearing a life jacket. The
other vests were still in compartments on the boat.

All five passengers were brought safely to shore with no serious
injuries reported.

Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.