Teenagers rescued from capsized boat in Chester County
[gtxvideo vid=”yuispLW5″ playlist=”” pid=”OTSe9U1y” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/yuispLW5.jpg” vtitle=”Chester Co. Boat Rescue”]
CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — An almost four-hour search and rescue ends with two teenagers safely returning home after their boat capsized. Soaked and stranded for hours, family spokesman Tim Crowe, a sergeant with the Henderson Police Department, said it’s not unusual for 17-year-old Josh Connor and 19-year-old Alec Gatley to cruise the creek. “They didn’t realize the danger of what they were doing,” he said. Crowe said the creeks are unusually high from recent snow and rain. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Henderson police, local residents and the Chester County Rescue Squad all worked to save the teens. The rescue wasn’t without challenges, according to James Griswell with the Chester County Rescue Squad. “In the beginning, we were not sure exactly where they were because it was hard for them to tell us,” he said. First responders said Connor and Gatley were able to get themselves to a bank and call for help. Griswell said the two boys stripped off their wet clothing. “They were in serious trouble,” he said. Friends and family members lined the banks as the boat carrying the two young men came to shore. “The family just wants to extend their thanks, and they want to say they are blessed this has turned out the way it has,” Crowe said on behalf of the families. “It could’ve been a much more tragic incident.” Both boys seem to be doing well.
