A 31-year-old Leonard, MN father took his three young sons out in the early afternoon of April 6th to try out his sailboat. Around 3 pm the boat capsized and all four occupants were plunged into the 43-degree water. The boys and the father were all wearing lifejackets. The father tried hanging on to the boys for a time, but then decided to swim for help. It took him 15-20 minutes to reach shore. He was then finally able to flag down a car and the occupants called for help on their cell phone around 3:24 pm, and then drove him back to the access to await responders. Help arrived around 3:35pm, and they pulled the first boy out at 3:43 pm and the remaining two followed. All three boys, and eventually the father (who was also suffering from hypothermia), were taken to a local hospital. The two youngest boys, 2 and 6, were not able to be resuscitated. The 8-year-old boy, however, was able to be stabilized and then airlifted to a Minneapolis hospital. He was taken off the ventilator and was responding to questions, as of this summary. (PFD’s worn – Yes, by all on board)
Leonard                       