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Last updated on Tuesday, March 17, 2015
(JACKSON CO.) - Indiana Conservation Officers rescued two Seymour men from the swollen White River Sunday night after their tandem kayak capsized.
24-year-old Matthew Beem and 31-year-old Gabriel Wyatt were safely removed from the swift water by airboat after clinging to a submerged tree for nearly 45 minutes.
Shortly before 5 p.m., Indiana Conservation Officers and the Jackson County Sheriff's Department responded to the Bell Ford Access ramp outside of Seymour, after a passerby saw the two men clinging to a submerged tree in the White River.
ICO Phil Nale, with the assistance of a Jackson County Deputy, quickly deployed an airboat and removed Beem and Wyatt from the river.
Beem was wearing a lifejacket, while Wyatt's lifejacket was lashed to the kayak, which had floated downstream. Both men were examined by Jackson County EMS at the scene and treated for mild hypothermia before being released.
"Officer Phil Nale undoubtedly saved the lives of these two men with his bravery and boat handling skills," ICO Lieutenant Phil Schuetter says.
Indiana Conservation Officers wish to remind citizens that many area waterways are flooded and extreme caution should be used when on or around them.
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