Drone helps to rescue 7 people from sinking boat on Utah Lake
Aug 3, 2024, 4:30 PM | Updated: Aug 5, 2024, 7:26 am
Efforts to improve Utah Lake appear to be working as there has been a 70% decrease in invasive species among other improvements. People take a boat out on Utah Lake in Vineyard on Monday, July 3, 2023. (Megan Nielsen, Deseret News)
(Megan Nielsen, Deseret News)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — A group of bystanders helped rescue seven people from a sinking boat on Utah Lake, according to police.
The Utah Lake sinking boat rescue
Shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, police received a 911 call about a sinking boat on Utah Lake. Seven people, including three adults, two teenagers and two toddlers, were stranded in the water after their boat sank. All were wearing life jackets.
The family was far from any shoreline, more than a mile from the American Fork Beach and Boat Harbor and just over 2.5 miles from the Lindon Marina.
The heroic drone pilot
A bystander used a drone to help rescuers locate the stranded group.
“There was a guy out on the end of the jetty who was getting ready to launch a drone,” said Sgt. Spencer Cannon from the Utah County Sheriff’s Department. “He asked the officer, saying ‘Is it okay if I launch a drone here?’ and he said ‘Yeah, would you mind helping us?’ And he said ‘Yes, sir. What do you got?'”
The police informed the man of the group stuck out on the lake and he flew his drone out to find them. Using the drone, the man was able to give officers GPS coordinates to their specific location.
During the search, the drone began to run out of battery. Most drones automatically return to their controller when the battery runs low to prevent getting lost. The man decided to sacrifice his drone, overriding the automatic return, and continued searching until he found the group.
Other bystanders join the rescue
Several other bystanders, including an off-duty firefighter, took their boats out to help rescue the family. The rescuers managed to bring both the family and their sinking boat safely to shore. The drone was lost in the lake.
Cannon said that the family’s preparedness was a major factor in averting tragedy.
“They had life jackets and everything,” Cannon said.
He also praised the selflessness of the drone pilot who helped them find the stranded family.
“He consciously overrode the automatic return mode on this, knowing that he may well lose his drone,” Cannon said. “Which he did.”
No injuries have been reported among the people involved.
