WAUPACA, Wis. (WSAU) — An elderly fisherman was rescued from the frigid waters of White Lake northeast of Waupaca Sunday afternoon.
Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Pat Gorchals says they received the call at 4:57 p.m., saying the man was still in the water about half a mile from shore. Gorchals says as the fire and rescue personnel were arriving, two fishermen in another boat that were on the east end of the lake heard the man yelling for help. They located the man and used a rope to pull him into their boat.
Firefighters used their rescue boat to assist all three safely back to shore. The 73-year-old New London man was able to walk under his own power from the boat to the paramedics, even though he had been in the icy cold water over 10 minutes. The man was handed off to Gold Cross Ambulance paramedics for transport to Riverside Memorial Hospital for an examination.
The man’s name has not been released. The two fishermen that assisted him were from Waupaca and Freemont.
