LA CROSSE, Wis. (WTAQ) - 4 vacationers from Pennsylvania learned the hard way that you should not try to swim across the Mississippi River.
La Crosse fire officials said the men were driving through town Thursday when they decided to swim across. They got about 200 feet out when they started having trouble. Two of the men pulled themselves out of the water, and firefighters used an extension pole to rescue the other two.
Fire lieutenant Jeff Halvorsen said the men swam across lakes in the past, but they underestimated the strong currents on the Mississippi. 3 other swimmers tried doing the same thing on May 24th, and a private boat rescued them.
