Rescuers lasso runaway vessel after man is thrown out of boat on Oregon river
Rescuers had to lasso a man’s runaway vessel after he was thrown from his boat into an Oregon river, fire officials said.
Firefighters, Multnomah County River Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the incident at about 1:15 p.m. May 17 on the Willamette River near the Cathedral Park boat ramp, Portland Fire & Rescue said in a news release.
The man was driving a 16-foot boat with a “a tiller driven outboard motor,” which means he was steering at the back of the vessel from the motor.
Instead of a steering wheel, there’s a tiller handle.
He slipped while using the tiller, and it caused the boat to accelerate and turn sharply, so he was thrown from it, rescuers said.
The small boat then started “spinning circles” on the river, rescuers said, while the man yelled for help from the water.
Rescuers come up with a plan
Someone heard the man’s cries and pulled him out of the water as rescuers got to the scene, fire officials said.
Once at a dock, the man told firefighters the boat had a full tank of gas, so it wouldn’t stop running for a while.
Rescuers tried to lasso the boat multiple times. Eventually, they were able to, then shut the engine off.
They towed the small boat to a dock where it was returned to the man, rescuers said.
Firefighters are now warning others to always wear a life jacket and to have a “sound producing device” on a boat to help you if you are thrown off a vessel. This could be a bell, whistle or air horn.
Additionally, rescuers advised boaters to have a motor that has a cut-off switch so the engine will turn off if you are thrown off.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Rescuers lasso runaway vessel after man is thrown out of boat on Oregon river."
