| http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/03/07/2114698/father-son-rescued-at-lake-norman.html By David Perlmutt and Meghan Cooke dperlmutt@charlotteobserver.com and macooke@charlotteobserver.com Posted: Monday, Mar. 07, 2011 The father and adult son thrown from their boat Saturday on Lake Norman weren't wearing life jackets and went into hypothermia shock, a state wildlife resources officer said Sunday afternoon. Ronnie Burchett, 75, and son Todd, 41, were visiting from Virginia when they were thrown from the 17-foot bass boat. They were just off the Pinnacle access area near the N.C. 150 bridge. The men were preparing for an upcoming fishing tournament and the boat was traveling about 40 mph when it struck something that bent the boat's propeller. The water there was 30 to 40 feet deep and 54 degrees. "In that ice-cold water, it takes only five minutes to go into hypothermia shock," said Officer Ron Robertson of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. "Your body shuts down from the sudden shock. Once that happens, even (Olympic swimmer) Michael Phelps couldn't swim in that shape." Robertson said the men had jackets on board, but by N.C. law weren't required to wear them (only children under 13 are required to wear life jackets). One jacket went overboard with the two men. He said Todd Burchett was able to get that jacket to his father. By the time two other fishermen got to the Burchetts, Ronnie Burchett was under water and the boat was circling. "Even though he was hanging onto the life jacket, he was going down," Robertson said. "He was very close to losing his life. He'd aspirated quite a bit of water. "That's why we advise everyone, children and adults, to wear life jackets. You just never know when something unforeseen is going to come up and get you into trouble. "Wearing life jackets would have helped both those men. This incident ought to serve as a good eye-opener for adults." Randy Edwards of Advance in Davie County was fishing nearby with his son. He heard someone shouting for help. "We saw the boat going crazy," he said. "I told my son to crank up our motor, and we took off." He said Ronnie Burchett went under just as they arrived. But Edwards' son, Jason Edwards, pulled both men onto their boat. "I think God had us in the right place at the right time," Randy Edwards said. Edwards said there are many stumps in the water where the men were. Officials blocked a section of the lake to protect other boaters while the Burchetts' boat circled for hours. Robertson said trying to stop the boat would have been dangerous, so they waited until it ran aground. Both father and son were taken to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Todd Burchett was later released, and his father was still being treated Sunday for hypothermia and water in his lungs, Robertson said. ================================================ Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour 73 Check & Clear 6 LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W |
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