By Rebecca Fiedler
Staff Writer
Two male Baylor students were taken to the Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center Thursday afternoon to be treated for hypothermia, after falling into the waters of Lake Waco when their sailboat capsized.
“Something happened on the sailboat where they were unable to operate the sail,” said Sgt. Patrick Swanson, Waco Police Department public information officer. “The boat capsized at some point. Both men went into the water with an attempt to try and get the boat turned back over, which they couldn’t. We don’t know exactly how long they were in the water, but we’re saying a considerable amount of time.”
The men climbed on top of the capsized boat in order to stay out of the water, Swanson said.
A woman driving by the lake spotted the men and proceeded to tell a lake gate attendant about the situation.
The attendant proceeded to call the Waco Police Department, the Waco Fire Department and the East Texas Medical Center ambulances, which all responded to the scene.
“Most likely that woman saved their lives by contacting the gate attendant who called Waco PD,” Swanson said.
The Waco Fire Department conducted the rescue and retrieved the men from the water.
The mens’ core temperatures were measured at 87 degrees Fahrenheit, and they were then transported to Hillcrest.
