On arrival I met with one of the three passengers of the swamped boat. Occupant1 stated that he and two other individuals were in a boat (5:30 AM), in Lubbub Creek, which is a tributary to the Tombigbee River, just South of the Cochrane Launch, when they noticed that the boat was taking on water. He theorized that the boat plug had possibly come out. Occupant1 stated that there was so much water in the boat that they did not have time to drive the boat to the bank (shore) and that all three men fell into the water. Occupant1 stated that he and Operator were able to swim to the bank, but that Occupant2 (62 YOA) was unable to and that he was forced to cling to a log until help arrived. Law enforcement was able to pick up all three men in his boat and transport them back to the Cochran boat launch, where medical personnel was waiting. On my arrival CEOs had gone back to the scene with owner / operator of the boat to attempt to recover any property that could be found. On their return to the launch, I interviewed Operator and found his account to be the same as Occupant1s. It was noted that based on accounts, Occupant2 was suffering from hypothermia and that once the on scene medical personnel was able to get his vitals back to normal he was transported to DCH Medical Center in Tuscaloosa. I collected information from Operator and Occupant1. The Victim's boat was completely submerged and not recovered. Occupant2 was held overnight for observation then released. Several attempts were made to follow up with Occupant2, but he failed to return calls or respond to messages.
Cochrane                      