4 older men in a boat get trapped against dam after midnight

This June 2015 file photo for illustration purposes shows lightning in the sky near Sand Hollow State Park, Hurricane, Utah, June 10, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Don Blair, St. George News

HURRICANE — Four early morning fishermen from Nevada got trapped on Sand Hollow Reservoir when their anchor line fouled their propeller early Saturday morning.

“We got a call from dispatch about 2:45 (a.m.),” Sand Hollow State Park Assistant Manager and Park Ranger Darren Tucker said. “They told me that there was a boat stranded in the lake, they didn’t have a lot more information at that time.”

Four men, ages 55-90 and all related, were on board a 1986 Four Winns fishing boat when it got trapped against the north dam.

The men had been night fishing and started preparations to come back to shore about 1 a.m. Saturday. Apparently their anchor got stuck, Tucker said, and in their efforts to loosen it, they did not notice their proximity to the dam until it was too late. The boat backed into the dam.

“The engine was running,” Tucker said, “and it completely twisted the prop.”

With the propeller inoperable, the boat was at the mercy of the waves.

“It was blown into the corner of the dam and was just rocking up back and forth against the rocks.”

The men called 911.


Read more: Loud, fast storm dumps on Dixie; more to come 


Two Hurricane Police officers drove out and assisted the four men from the boat up onto the bluff and drove them back to their vehicle. There were no injuries reported among the group.

The other Hurricane Police officer assisted Tucker in towing the boat back to the ramp where it was loaded onto its trailer. They then discovered the engine was dragging on the ground due to the damage the boat had sustained, so the fishermen had to leave their boat and pick it up after first light.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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4 Comments

  • ladybugavenger June 11, 2016 at 3:37 pm

    The headline sounds like the beginning of a joke…

  • .... June 11, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    Oh Im sure They’re all laughing about it now

  • Randys Sister June 13, 2016 at 2:11 pm

    The picture doesn’t really have anything to do with the story?

    • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic June 13, 2016 at 3:20 pm

      It is a night photo involving Sand Hollow Reservoir offered for illustrative purposes, as indicated; in other words, since we did not have a photo of the lake at night with the boat subject to this story, we offer a photo that conveys the sense of the lake at night and so caption it.
      I appreciate the question and sure hope that helps, thanks Randys Sister. 🙂
      ST. GEORGE NEWS
      Joyce Kuzmanic
      Editor in Chief

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