October 24, 2011
By Dylan Polk
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for four duck hunters in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Oct. 15. Luckily a call for help was answered, and this video, showing the tense moments as the U.S. Coast Guard rescues the hunters, serves as caution for anyone out in stormy conditions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXrqZGSkMo&feature=player_embedded
The hunters' 16-foot boat became stranded near a breakwall in Ashtabula Harbor when their decoys became tangled in the propellers. It only got worse from there, as winds of up to 40 mph whipped high waves into the boat, eventually capsizing it while the men climbed to safety on the breakwall.
One of the hunters made a cell phone call at 7:30 a.m. for help, but since conditions were too hazardous for a boat rescue, the Coast Guard Air Patrol was called, and responded with a MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter just under an hour later.
The Coast Guard rescued the hunters 40 minutes later.
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