Fisherman Dies Following Submersion

By Dan Craft

Posted: November 13, 2009 at 6:35 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — A Fayetteville man died early Thursday morning after spending half an hour submerged Wednesday afternoon.

Tony Matthews died at Washington Regional Medical Center about 2 a.m., said Sgt. Bill Phelan of the Fayetteville Police Department.

Matthews was fishing with two friends Wednesday afternoon in the West Fork of the White River, just off Pump Station Road in southeast Fayetteville. Their small flatbottom boat swamped with all three men in it, said Steve Crawford, one of the three friends.

They brought the boat back to shore and drained it, then Matthews took it back out into the river just after 4 p.m. to retrieve a cooler and two paddles that had floated away, Crawford said.

Matthews, a poor swimmer, flipped the boat and slipped under the surface about halfway between the boat and the shore, Crawford said.

Crawford and another friend also cannot swim well, so they called rescuers.

Firefighters in wetsuits and a rubber raft searched about 30 minutes before pulling Matthews from about 8 feet of water.

Paramedics managed to start Matthews’ heart on the way to the hospital, and he was admitted to the medical center in critical condition. He died about eight hours later.

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