Posted on 07/17/2007 6:50:10 AM PDT by MplsSteve
Crews have been trying since early Monday evening to rescue a 500-pound man who suffered a medical emergency on the St. Croix River near Grantsburg, Wis.
The man was part of a group that went tubing from Danbury, Wis., said Dean Roland, Burnett County sheriff. One of the tubes went flat about 2.5 miles south of Fox Landing.
Danbury is about 107 miles from Minneapolis.
The man, believed to be 39 years old, reported chest pains when he called the Pine County, Minn., Sheriff's department at about 8:20 p.m. Pine County then called Burnett County for assistance, Roland said.
Authorities from the Grantsburg Fire Department, the Wisconsin DNR, the Pine County, Minn., Fire Department, the Pine County Sheriff, and the Minnesota State Police helicopter were called in search for the man.
They found him about 9:30 p.m.
The rescue attempt began immediately, but faced some challenges, he said.
"He's a man of large stature and is in a location where the water is shallow," Roland said. "There are lots of rocks and the sides are steep."
Rescue crews helped the man into a boat, but the boat ran aground, Roland said.
By 5 a.m. today, a hovercraft was sent to the scene, but the attempt failed. They also tried an amphibious vehicle, Roland said.
By 7 a.m., rescue crews were trying to get to the man with ATVs.
"Nothing is working," Roland said.
There are close to 50 emergency personnel on the scene.
"They are doing everything they can to assist him," Roland said.
The man reportedly is alert and conscious, but his condition is deteriorating, Roland said.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Comments or opinions - anyone?
What is tubing?
This guy is sure putting a lot of people and resources in harms way.
Fat man in the bathtub!
With the blues!
Floating down river on an inner tube or similar device.
Riding on water in inflatable inner-tube like devices.
He should be presented with a bill from rescue services.
Tubing is the practice of floating down a river sitting in an inflated car tire inner tube.
This is what happens when you use a giant Krispy Kreme glazed as a flotation device.
..something a 500-lb. man should never attempt. Barging, maybe. Tubing, never.
Bless his heart! Poor guy! I’m sure that much of his weight was brought on by himself. However, you have to know that this is humiliating beyond belief. I’m sure he wishes he were 300 pounds lighter at the moment. I hope they are able to get him out before he dies. What a mess! Prayers for the rescuers right now!
I’ll say it......a 500 pounder who cannot exercise and can only barely walk at best, is just plain stupid to undertake a tubing expedition, esp in a river such as described.
Tubing or not tubing......That is the question.....
[called paramedics because he couldn’t stop coughing..]
hmmm, maybe it is something he had for breakfast?
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