How a New Year’s Day fishing tournament saved a life after crash near Fresno

Had it not been for an annual New Year’s Day fishing tournament, there might not have been anyone around to help rescue a man whose truck plunged off embankment near Pine Flat Lake Saturday night.

“A lot of stars lined up,” says Mark Corrente, one of a group of six anglers in three boats that was heading up toward Trimmer Springs on Sunday morning when they heard what sounded like yelling for help.

“He was not going to make it the rest of the day.”

According to the California Highway Patrol, the man had driven off the roadway sometime Saturday night, near the spot where the body of missing Selma woman Jolissa Fuentes was found in October. Investigators believed she died in an accidental crash due to fatigue.

She had been missing for two months.

The man was discovered after nearly 12 hours.

He crawled from the wreckage to a spot where he could see down to the lake and yelled for help, Corrente says.

It just so happened there was a temperature break at that exact spot in the lake and a log jam that created a layer of mulch and forced the boats to use their trolling motors, which were quiet enough for the fishermen to hear the scream, Corrente says.

Of course, the man had several broken ribs and hypothermia and was only able to yell periodically. At first the men though the sound might be someone yelling down from the top of the road.

“You’ll hear that from time to time,” Corrente says.

Corrente was scanning the area with his binoculars when he saw debris and tire marks at the top of the hill and realized someone had gone over. He beached his boat, and along with fishing partner John Albidrez eventually found the man sitting uphill from the wreckage of his truck, which was flipped on its roof and smashed.

Meanwhile, the other fisherman were able to contact 911, though it took multiple tries because of limited service in the area.

Eventually, a CHP helicopter was dispatched and the man was taken to the hospital.

Corrente says he has been getting the bulk of the attention for the rescue because he’s known within the fishing community in the area, but the five other men (Albidrez, plus Jessy Perez, Tony Lopez, Gary Wasson and Matt Frazier) also deserve recognition.

“It wasn’t just me.”

The victim, who hasn’t been identified, had been in stable condition, but took a turn for the worse on Tuesday and was put into the ICU, according to his family. Both his lungs were collapsed, and doctors believe he may have pneumonia.

“All we know to do is pray and hope for the best with the medical team,” his mother said in a message to The Bee.