Sat, May 17 2008
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Published May 01, 2008 12:21 am - McClatchy Newspapers FRESNO, Calif. -- Chet Elia had on four layers of clothing and shin-high boots when he ... Often shunned, life jackets could reduce boating, angling mishaps The Norman Transcript McClatchy Newspapers
FRESNO, Calif. -- Chet Elia had on four layers of clothing and shin-high boots when he tumbled into Lake Don Pedro on a snowy November morning. But he wasn't wearing a life jacket. Fishing from the the bow of his bass boat during a tournament, Elia spotted fish feeding at the surface a hundred yards away. The distance was too far for a trolling motor, so Elia tugged on the rope that lifts the device back to the deck. Instead, the rope snapped, sending an off-balance Elia into the 42-degree water. There was no one else around. "I went in a-- over teakettle," he said. Instinctively, Elia grabbed the side of his boat with both hands. As he did, the Clovis resident could feel his clothing and boots filling up with water, pulling him beneath the surface. Elia needed every ounce of his strength to move hand over hand to the back of the boat, which sits lower in the water due to the weight of the outboard motor. Once there, he was able to lift a knee on deck and roll himself in. With no spare clothing on board, Elia endured a miserable 15-minute ride back to the launch ramp. A ranger rescued him from near-certain hypothermia by ushering Elia into her truck and wrapping him in an electric blanket. "I've never been so cold in my life," Elia said. "There's no doubt I'm lucky to be alive." Although Elia survived his mishap, other local anglers haven't been as fortunate. The past four boating fatalities in Fresno County dating to 2005 have involved fishing vessels, said Sgt. Kathy Curtice of the Fresno County sheriff's boating unit. Alcohol may have played a role in two of the incidents, Curtice said. Statewide, fishing boats account for 30 percent of all boating fatalities, according to statistics compiled by the California Department of Boating and Waterways. 
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