ECHO STATE PARK, Utah, May 17, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- A boater believed to be in his mid 60s was rescued from the reservoir at Echo State Park Saturday morning, and was airlifted to the University of Utah Hospital.
The man, from Davis County, was reported to be in critical condition. His current condition is unknown, said Sgt. Ethan Justinger, with the law enforcement division in the Division of Natural Resources.
Just after 9 a.m., dispatch was alerted to a man who had been in a boat, but gone overboard, into the water, Justinger told reporters at the scene.
He was "unable to get back into the boat. And so there was another boat that was nearby. They were able to provide assistance getting him in the boat.
"Medical responded and was waiting here at this boat ramp, and was able to render assistance to that individual," Justinger said.
The man, who reportedly had been in the water for five or 10 minutes, was deemed as being in critical condition, "so they decided to call a helicopter in and flew him to the University of Utah hospital."
Justinger said there had been three other people in the man's boat, who were unable to pull him aboard. People in a second boat saw what was happening, and arrived, and pulled the man out of the water.
By the time the victim was transported to the dock, medical personnel from North Summit EMS were waiting.
"They had a great response time," Justinger said. "Minutes count in this type of situation."
The man had not been wearing a life jacket.
"That's important to know, especially with the cold weather or the cold water that they have right now, it's important for those safety features to be worn," Justinger said. "The water is cold. That plays a factor."
"When you are going out to recreate and enjoy the waterways that we have, safety is paramount. So making sure you have the necessary safety equipment on board -- life jackets, throwable, PFDs, fire extinguishers, all of those life saving kind of measures -- will really help out.
"We don't really want anybody to have to be in those situations, but if you do find yourself in those situations, it's important to know you have the correct equipment and know where it's located on your boat."
Gephardt Daily will have more information as updates are available.
