Sarah Guzman swam two miles to summon help.
(WFAA-TV)
Woman recounts desperate swim for help
Hope dwindles for more survivors of boating accident
09/23/2002
Two people died and three others were missing after a fishing boat carrying 10 people sank early Monday morning on Lake Ray Hubbard.
Four rescue boats and two police helicopters conducted an intense search for a woman and two men who disappeared when the 16-foot boat capsized, but by Monday afternoon police held out little hope for their safe return.
 (DALLAS WEB STAFF) |
Five of the passengers were rescued, including two children. Sarah Guzman, 22, swam two miles to shore after the boat went under.
"The only thing I could think was, 'I need help,' and I began to swim," Ms. Guzman said through a translator.
"I've always been very afraid of the water," she added, "but at that moment -- I don't know -- I became very courageous."
Gary Gilliam said he heard some noise outside his home on Scenic Drive in Heath about 3:30 a.m. He grabbed a flashlight to investigate. As he was calling police, Mr. Gilliam found the woman sprawled on the rocks by the shore.
"I can't believe she made it across," Mr. Gilliam said.
Although Ms. Guzman spoke only Spanish, it quickly became clear that there were others in the lake.
WFAA-TV Rescue boats were helped by the Dallas police helicopter in their search for survivors. |
"It's real sad," he said.
Ms. Guzman told authorities the boat struck something in the lake near the Lake Ray Hubbard dam shortly after midnight. It started slowly taking on water, but survivors said the boat did not immediately sink.
"The boat turned over and we all went underwater," she said. "Everyone was asking for help and they were desperate."
Ms. Guzman said three children were among the 10 aboard, including her sister.
"What hurts me most is I couldn't help my sister, but at least others were saved," she said.
Officials said survivors include 6-year-old and 15-year-old boys, a 20-year-old man and two young women.
The boys were found in a cluster surrounding an 18-year-old woman wearing a life jacket.
A 20-year-old man with a life jacket separated from the group and was also rescued.
All the known survivors were reported in good condition Monday morning.
A game warden found the four survivors and recovered the bodies of a 12-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman.
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The boat had not been located in the lake's murky waters.
About a dozen somber relatives of the boaters sat quietly on a sidewalk behind yellow police tape Monday morning, anxiously awaiting words. Many hugged or put arms around one another, and they seemed settled in for a long wait.
Isidro Guzman, the father of two young girls on the boat, looked toward the water with tears in his eyes.
One of his daughters was the 22-year-old who swam to shore, but his 18-year-old daughter was among the dead.
"My daughter was a very intelligent woman," he said. "She graduated from high school with honors. She was expecting to go to college. She was planning on getting married next year."
Mr. Guzman said his daughter who drowned knew how to swim. "Both my daughters were good swimmers; it was just way too far," he said.
The tragedy was overwhelming, Mr. Guzman said. "All the people were my family. Some are not family, but very close friends, so it's all the same."
He said his daughters, their boyfriends and family members had been on a pleasure boating outing.
State law requies a life jacket on board for each person in a boat, Texas Parks and Wildlife Lt. Col. Roy Lawrence said. Children under age 13 must wear a life jacket.
A boat 16 feet or longer must also have a floating device that can be thrown from the craft.
There are no state laws restricting the number of people on a boat, so boaters must use common sense, Lt. Col. Lawrence said.
"Ten people in a 16-foot boat is a large number of people," he said.
Boating at night is also more hazardous than during the day and can affect depth perception, Lt. Col. Lawrence added.
Lt. Dickerson said a 911 telephone outage in the region had no impact on response to this incident. The initial call for help went out after 911 service had been restored.
Lake Ray Hubbard reaches into parts of Dallas, Rockwall, Collin and Kaufman counties. The 22,745-acre manmade lake was established in 1968 as a reservoir and is a popular fishing and recreation area.
WFAA-TV reporters Brad Hawkins and Chris Gailus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
E-mail: kdurnan@dallasnews.com
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