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SPANISH FORK — One person was transported to a hospital and three others were treated for hypothermia following a boat rescue on Utah Lake early Thursday morning, authorities said.
Emergency crews responded to a report of a boat stuck at Bird Island on Utah Lake shortly before 1 a.m., according to Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon. They found three adults and one juvenile on the boat.
The boaters told rescuers they had been stuck for about two hours before calling 911.
“They were really worried about losing their boat and so they were taking turns in the water holding onto it, trying to keep it off of the rocks,” Cannon said.
All four individuals were treated for hypothermia, including the person who was transported to a hospital. However, Cannon said all four are expected to recover. He did not release their names or ages.
The island is located about 2 1/4 miles north of Lincoln Beach Marina, according to UtahOutdoors.com. Cannon said it can be completely covered by water depending on the water levels in the lake and he was unsure if the boat hit the island or had mechanical problems. He added Utah State Park officials were helping recover the boat Thursday.
Cannon called the incident a cautionary tale for boaters. He said people shouldn’t try to save their boat when lives could be at risk.
“Call immediately for help,” he said. “Calling for help sooner would have probably saved hypothermia … They’re all probably going to be OK, but they should have let the boat go and protected themselves.”
Contributing: Eric Morgan, KSL
