JACKSON COUNTY — An Edinburgh man who had been tubing with friends in the White Rvier was saved after a a water rescue by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and other responding units on Saturday.
The department received a 911 call at about 5:20 p.m. Saturday about a man in the White River near the Bellford Public Access Site off State Road 258 West of Seymour. The man was later identified as Dalton James David Sawyer, 23, of Edinburgh.
The caller told dispatchers that Daulton had been floating down the river in an innertube with a group of friends and Dalton’s tube had come untied from one of the friends’ kayaks.
About 10 minutes had passed before the group noticed Dalton was no longer with them. Deputies Scott Ferguson, Kevin Settle and Aaron Wilkins responded to the scene along with members of the Hamilton Township Fire Department and Brownstown Fire Department.
Brownstown Fire Department responded with their airboat for search and rescue. The deputies and Hamilton Township fire members began walking north along the riverbanks attempting to locate Dalton.
Wilkins spotted something blue in color stuck in a log jam about a quarter-mile north of the public access site. Brownstown Fire Department made their way to the logjam on the air boat and located Dalton still in the innertube but unresponsive.
Fire Department members quickly positioned the airboat next to Dalton and removed him from the water. Dalton was brought back to the public access site where he was now awake and transferred to the care of Jackson County EMS, who transported Dalton to Schneck Medical Center for further treatment. Dalton was treated and released with no injuries.
Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer credited all departments involved and said, “If not for the quick response and teamwork from all the agencies involved the outcome could have been deadly.”
By Ericka Malone — The (Seymour) Tribune is a sister newspaper of the Daily Journal.
