Competitive swimmer helps rescue fisherman who fell out of boat in Martha Lake

MILL CREEK, Wash.  -- A competitive swimmer who was training in Martha Lake Wednesday helped rescue a fisherman who fell out of his boat.

According to Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes, a witness on shore called 911 at about 9:45 a.m. to report a fisherman was in the water, hanging onto the side of his 10-foot boat, which was about 70 feet from the dock at Martha Lake County Park.

“The fisherman became tangled in the anchor line and fell overboard,” said Hynes. “A citizen, who was swimming in the lake to train for a competition, came to the boater’s aid. The citizen swam to the boat and was able to untangle the line from the fisherman’s feet, but he couldn’t get the man up into the boat.

"The swimmer climbed aboard and started rowing to shore with the fisherman clinging to the side of the boat.”

A county Fire District 7 team arrived at that point, and a Fire District 7 rescue swimmer swam out to the boat and held up the fisherman on the side of the boat as the competitive swimmer rowed to shore.

Hynes said the fisherman, who had been in the water for about 15 minutes, was cold but uninjured.

Oh, and the fish he was trying to land was still hooked on the end of his line, Hynes added.

More seriously, the fisherman was not wearing a lifejacket, Hynes said.

“He was fortunate there were people nearby to help him. The swimmer who came to his aid and the witness on shore who called 911 really made a difference,” Hynes said.

“We encourage all boaters, adults and children, to wear a life jacket when boating or around water,” Hynes said.