2 survive after boat sinks in northern Indiana lake
NORTH WEBSTER, Ind. (WISH) — Two hunters managed to survive harsh conditions and swim to shore after their boat sank in a Kosciusko County lake Saturday morning, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.
Despite frigid temperatures and wind gusts of 50 mph, Trenton Stackhouse, 27, of Milford, and Darick Stiles, 27, of Warsaw, set out to hunt waterfowl on Webster Lake in North Webster on Saturday morning.
After a short time on the lake, the men realized the conditions were too harsh to overcome and attempted to return their boat to the ramp. According to Natural Resources, that’s when their boat was overtaken by a large wave and began to sink.
Moments before the boat became fully submerged, Stackhouse and Stiles grabbed waterfowl decoys and a floating gun case for buoyancy and swam several hundred yards to shore.
When the two men arrived on the shore around 11 a.m., Stackhouse became unresponsive due to hypothermia.
In an attempt to find shelter and save Stackhouse, Stiles entered a nearby unoccupied home. The home’s alarm company alerted the Kosciusko County Dispatch Center of the unauthorized entry, and authorities were sent to the residence.
Stackhouse was taken to a local hospital and is being treated for severe hypothermia.