PAYNESVILLE, Minn. 鈥� A good Samaritan with a pontoon rescued a St. Cloud man 鈥� cold but uninjured 鈥� after his boat capsized Monday afternoon, Sept. 26, on Rice Lake in Eden Lake Township east of Paynesville.
A news release from the Stearns County Sheriff鈥檚 office identified the man as 66-year-old William Henrichs.
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The caller who reported the accident at 4:02 p.m. Monday said that he had also notified his neighbor of what he saw, and the neighbor used a pontoon boat to respond to the capsized boat and the boater in distress. The pontoon driver was able to help Henrichs into his boat and pull the capsized boat back to shore, according to the news release.
Henrichs was operating a 1981 14-foot Sylvan watercraft with a 9.9-horsepower motor. According to the release, Henrichs told responding deputies he was traveling northeast near the point on Patricia Street.
When he came around the point, the wind conditions increased, causing large waves. The boat motor stopped working and water began to fill the back of the boat, causing it to capsize.
Henrichs was wearing an inflatable personal flotation device, according to the release, but it was not Coast Guard-approved and did not auto-inflate. Henrichs had difficulty finding the inflation cord but eventually did, and was able to call 911.
He estimated he was in the water for 10 to 15 minutes before the pontoon arrived to assist, according to the release.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Paynesville Fire Department and CentraCare Ambulance assisted at the scene.
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