NEWS 25 WEHT Evansville, Henderson, OwensboroCondition Upgraded for Hospitalized Boating Accident Victim
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updated by Seth Cheek
NEWBURGH, IN - NEWS 25 has an updated on Mark Wilson of Boonville, hospitalized after his boat was pulled into the Newburgh Lock & Dam.
We've learned from Saint Mary's Medical Center that Wilson's condition has stabilized. He was previously listed in critical condition overnight, but was upgraded Tuesday to fair.
NEWS 25 is continuing to follow this story, and will update you as we learn more.
story by Jamie Rose
NEWBURGH, IN - NEWS 25 continues to follow developments in a fatal boat accident at the Newburgh Lock and Dam.
Two fisherman were thrown off their boat as it was being sucked into one of the gates, ultimately killing one of them.
Monday night it was confirmed by the Vanderburgh County coroner that one of the fisherman on board, 55- year-old, Douglas Morefield, of Evansville, is dead.
Officials say the other fisherman is, 50-year-old, Mark Wilson of Boonville.
Saint Mary's Medical Center officials tell NEWS 25 Wilson is currently in critical condition.
Indiana DNR Conservation Officer, Mike Kellner says, "When you get into that hydraulic, you could have ten life jackets on, you've got problems."
Kellner says both Morefield and Wilson were wearing life jackets.
Officials say they were on their boat when it got caught up in a secondary current at gate number nine.
Kellner says, "It sunk the boat and put the two victims in the water."
Thankfully, Kellner says other boaters witnessed the situation and were able to call for help.
First responders were dispatched to the scene and the lockmaster was notified to close the gate.
At that point the witnesses were able to get Morefield and Wilson out of the water and onto their boat, until first responders could get to them.
Assistant Fire Chief with the Newburgh Fire Department, Chad Bennett, says, "The amount of time they're in the water, seconds matters, so the fact that we were able to launch from the Newburgh Boat Ramp made a huge difference in getting first responder care to them as quickly as possible."
Officials on scene say the two fishermen were not only battling a strong current, but also cold water temperatures.
Kellner says the specifics of how the boat initially got caught in the current is still under investigation.
Kellner says, "The river has a lot of things you have to respect one of which is the dam, and certainly the water depth, the time of year, the cold water."
Coroner, Annie Groves, tells NEWS 25 she met Morefield years ago, and he was no stranger to tragedy.
Morefield's daughter, 28-year-old, Brandy Morefield, was killed in the November 2005 tornado.
updated by Marx Pyle
NEWBURGH, IN - We have an update on the two fishermen who were in a boat that was pulled into the Old Newburgh Lock & Dam, sending them to the hospital.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner has confirmed that one of the two fishermen is dead.
We'll continue to update this story as we learn more.
posted by Seth Cheek
NEWBURGH, IN - We've learned more about the boat that was pulled into the Old Newburgh Lock & Dam, sending two fishermen to the hospital.
Chad Bennett with the Newburgh Fire Department told NEWS 25 around 3pm Monday, a boat with two fishermen was pulled into Lock #9. The two men were sent into the water. A nearby fishing boat was able to pull the men to their boat.
Rescue crews then individually brought the two men back to the shore. They were then taken to Saint Mary's Medical Center. Their conditions weren't known, but Bennett did tell us that CPR was being performed on one of the men.
We'll continue to update this story as we learn more.
NEWBURGH, IN - NEWS 25 is on the way to the Old Newburgh Lock & Dam after we learned a boat has capsized, with reports that two people were on-board at the time.
The Warrick County Sheriff's office told us they've called out rescue crews, including divers, to investigate.
