YOUNGSTOWN – Three boaters who were rescued from Lake Ontario after their boat capsized Saturday afternoon had come from Wellsville for a day of fishing, sheriff’s deputies said.
Daniel E. Crowner, 49, of Wellsville, told deputies he and his friends were fishing in about 100 feet of water when the wave heights increased dramatically around 3:30 p.m., with water beginning to come in over the rear of their vessel.
Crowner said he called 911 and within minutes, the boat flipped over, tossing the three men into the 37-degree water. They climbed atop the overturned craft and huddled together until rescue crews located them some 50 minutes later.
Crews were not able to salvage the boat, valued at $10,000. The boat is believed to have sunk.
The boat was about 17,000 feet out from the Fort Niagara/Four Mile Creek area when trouble struck, sheriff’s deputies said. A United States Coast Guard rescue boat, assisted by a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter and aided by the victims’ own global positioning system, located the overturned boat.
The men, wet and suffering from possible hypothermia, were transported to area hospitals, deputies said. Robert K. Guinnip, 49, of Wellsville, and Bruce S. Blank, 59, of Andover, were said to be suffering from non-life-threatening injuries, along with Crowner. They were reported in stable condition by Saturday night.
Daniel E. Crowner, 49, of Wellsville, told deputies he and his friends were fishing in about 100 feet of water when the wave heights increased dramatically around 3:30 p.m., with water beginning to come in over the rear of their vessel.
Crowner said he called 911 and within minutes, the boat flipped over, tossing the three men into the 37-degree water. They climbed atop the overturned craft and huddled together until rescue crews located them some 50 minutes later.
Crews were not able to salvage the boat, valued at $10,000. The boat is believed to have sunk.
The boat was about 17,000 feet out from the Fort Niagara/Four Mile Creek area when trouble struck, sheriff’s deputies said. A United States Coast Guard rescue boat, assisted by a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter and aided by the victims’ own global positioning system, located the overturned boat.
The men, wet and suffering from possible hypothermia, were transported to area hospitals, deputies said. Robert K. Guinnip, 49, of Wellsville, and Bruce S. Blank, 59, of Andover, were said to be suffering from non-life-threatening injuries, along with Crowner. They were reported in stable condition by Saturday night.