Posted on 04/25/2002 7:27:59 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Anglers filming trip for TV show end up in spotlight after thwarting apparent suicide attempt.
April 25, 2002
Three guys who wouldn't come out of the rain were in White River on Wednesday night, trying to catch one more fish for a TV show. Instead, they caught something more valuable: a despondent man who had jumped into the river and was floating by.
"He said he had gotten to the bridge and didn't feel like living anymore," said Eddie Lee Brochin, a professional fishing guide. "He said the only thing he thought about before he jumped was his daughter and granddaughter. I told him it wasn't his time to go."
The man was sent to Methodist Hospital. Had the three men in the boat not been in the right place at the right time, Indianapolis police said, the man who jumped would have drowned. His name was not immediately released, but he was said to be in his early 50s.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, that man, who reportedly called relatives to announce his intention to commit suicide, drove to the Michigan Road bridge over White River, parked his car and jumped.
At the same time, three men in a 171/2-foot trolling boat were a short way downstream. Brochin, investment adviser Doug Strott and fisherman Jeff Howard, operating the camera, were recording their trip for the "HTS Pro Team Presents Fishing with Capt. Ed" show, which airs Saturday mornings on WNDY (Channel 23).
The stretch of the river where the men were fishing produces big catfish; they had just hooked and released a 15-pounder when the rain blew in. Despite the storm, they stayed on the river to get another 10 minutes of tape for the show.
While sitting under anchor, they spotted something in the water, looked closer, and realized it was a man.
Strott, who said he had been trained as a lifeguard by the American Red Cross, jumped in and swam 30 yards downstream to reach the man.
"I had to swim hard to get to him because the current was so swift," said Strott. "I held his head above water until the boat came."
All three pulled the man into the boat, then called 911 on a cell phone while they trolled downstream to the Lake Indy ramp where they originally had launched the boat. There, they met police and an ambulance.
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"All three pulled the man into the boat, then called 911 on a cell phone while they trolled downstream to the Lake Indy ramp where they originally had launched the boat."
Still trolling? Now those are some dedicated fishermen!
Sounds like me.
;-)
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