CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A fisherman in a boat was rescued from rapids on the Shenandoah River Wednesday afternoon after the boat's engine quit and the craft drifted into the rough water, a fire official said.
The incident occurred in an area of the river known as "The Big Eddy," a favorite fishing spot along Bloomery Road, said Ed Smith, chief of the Independent Fire Co.
The area is calm, but flows into some rapids that get progressively stronger as they extend down the river, Smith said.
Carl Hedrick, 60, of Inwood, W.Va., was fishing in the area when the engine on his boat quit and he started to drift toward the rapids, Smith said.
Hedrick put down an anchor, but it did not catch on anything until the boat had entered the rapids, Smith said.
A man standing on the river saw Hedrick go into the rapids and called for help, Smith said.
Members of the Independent Dive Rescue Team approached Hedrick by boat, threw a rope to him, and pulled Hedrick's boat out of the rapids, Smith said.
Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire Co. had a boat positioned below the rapids in case it was needed to help rescue the man, Smith said.
The Shenandoah River is high, making conditions on the river dangerous, Smith said. Officials urge people who use the river to use caution, Smith said.
A Walkersville, Md., man drowned Sunday in the Shenandoah River after he fell out of his kayak in Bull Falls, officials said.
A spray skirt around the waist of Jesse Heiss, 23, became snagged on a submerged log, state Division of Natural Resources officials said. The force of the current forced Heiss under the water and held him under, causing him to drown, DNR officials said.
Bull Falls is below the Big Eddy area.
