Men stranded in boat overnight, rescued by fishermen
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PARSONS, Tenn. — Two men are safe and back home Friday night after spending nearly 24 hours stranded on the Tennessee River. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said the men went out for a quick ride Thursday afternoon when they ran out of gas. “It’s Good Friday, and for these guys it’s a really good Friday,” TWRA Lt. Richard Stockdale said. Two boaters out for a spring joy ride were left stuck overnight Thursday with no food, jackets or cell phones to call for help. “You hope for the best but you prepare for the worst, and in this particular case it just turned out to be really the best case scenario,” Stockdale said. Stockdale works for the TWRA District 12. He said they received a call Friday morning from one of the men’s wives asking if any crews were on the river. That’s when the search began, but thankfully it didn’t last long. “I could see a boat that matched the description and then it turned out they had literally just been picked up that second by the bass fishermen,” Stockdale said. After being stuck for about 23 hours, the men were brought back safely by two fishermen. Stockdale said this could have been prevented if the two men looked at their gas gauge, which is something he’s reminding all boaters to do as the boating season begins. “A lot of people are going out for the first time, they’re using that boat for the first time this year, and they haven’t checked to see how much gas is in it,” he said. “They haven’t checked to see if their batteries are good.” Stockdale said the men were brought to Perryville Marina in Parsons around 11:30 Friday morning. “They were dehydrated a little bit and exhausted as might be expected but just thankful to be back home, I believe,” he said. He said the boaters had a cigarette lighter with them so they were able to build a fire. Stockdale said this type of situation isn’t uncommon this time of year so it’s best to be prepared with food, clothes and a way to call for help.
