Prelude:
 
A male and a female were rescued out of the ohio river after their boat sunk. 


On april 29, 2023, at approximately 3:00 pm i indiana conservation officer 1 was on patrol in floyd county when i heard radio traffic of a water rescue on the ohio river from clark county dispatch. I notified ico dispatch, and i advised clark county dispatch that i would be enroute. I activated my emergency lights and sirens in my fully marked conservation officer patrol vehicle and patrolled to the clarksville boat ramp. 

 at approximately 3:14 pm i arrived on scene and saw several clarksville fire department vehicles and personnel. I grabbed my issued throw bag and made contact with a clarksville police officer. I asked if any one was in the water, how many, and where they were. The officer said he did not know anything. I made contact with a clarksville fireman and asked the same set of questions. He advised that they had launched their inflatable boat and was searching for the victims but could not find anything. He told me that i should go to the new albany boat ramp. That is the last location he said the subjects where headed. I left the clarksville boat ramp and patrolled to the new albany boat ramp. 

I made contact with ico sergeant 2, ico corporal 3, and ico 4. I advised them to head towards the new albany boat ramp.

I arrived at the new albany boat ramp at approximately 3:32 pm. I pulled down the ramp and exited my patrol vehicle. I saw the clarksville fire department rescue boat at the ramp. I asked if they knew where the subjects were and what was going on. They said they did not know and could not locate anything or anybody. When i said that i heard someone behind me standing on the ramp state "we are right here". I turned around and saw operator standing on the ramp. He was soaking wet. I asked him if he was okay. He said he was okay, and i asked how many people there was. He said it was just him and his wife (passenger). I asked if he she was okay, and he said she was in the car getting warm. I told operator to get in the car and warm up. I walked down the ramp where i saw a boat pulling up with two males in the boat (later identified as witnesses 1 and 2). I asked them if they saw what happened. He said they were the ones who rescued both of them and had some of their belongings. I asked witness 1 what happened. He said that he saw them drive towards the old dam above the mouth of silver creek. They nudged the rocks two times and the third time he saw operator turn back down river and seen the bottom of the boat be pulled down. He said he immediately reeled in his fishing tackle and drove towards them and pulled them out of the water. He also said that both of their personal floatation devices were fully inflated when they rescued them. Witness 1 also said that in the captains meeting of the catfish tournament everyone was instructed not to go past the mouth silver creek on the main body of the river. 
  
I walked back up to the vehicle where operator and passenger were at and asked them what happened. He said that he was apart of the catfish tournament and that he tried to go through twice and the third time he turned back down river, and the stern of the boat was pulled under and began to take on water. He said they put on their life jackets and the boat began to capsize. He said they tried to stay on the boat until help arrived.

Ico sergeant 2, ico corporal 3, ico 4 arrived on scene. I asked operator for information on the boat and he said that he was in the process of buying the boat out of tennessee and most of the documents where in the river. He was able to provide me with registration number. The boat was a 2016 sea ark 2072. 

 ico sergeant 2, ico corporal 3, ico 4 and i began to try and find towing and recovery services for the boat, ico 4 advised that he had made contact with mcbride barge, and they would be able to help recover the boat by crane on monday.

I gave my contact information to operator along with mcbride barge. We left the scene. 

On may 1, 2023, i was contacted by mcbride barge, and he said they would be recovering the boat after operator made contact with insurance company. Mcbride barge said that the boat was recovered thirteen and a half miles downstream from where it initially sank, and that boat was tied off to a barge by mill creek at the lg&e powerplant.  

On may 2, 2023, operator contacted me via text message and phone call. He provided me with the insurance for the boat through tennessee farmers mutual insurance company. He also sent me pictures of the boat once it was refloated, and it was pulled out of the water by crane and set on his boat trailer at mcbride barges private boat ramp in new albany and the boat was back in operators possession. 


Ohio River
New Albany                    