(Editor's note: The following account was submitted by Mick Maples of the Central Missouri Bassmasters, who competed in the Missouri B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend. It was written by Alan Daniels of the Backlashers of KC, who was on site for the rescue of a woman who'd fallen into the lake while working around her property.)
On the second day of the 2016 Missouri State Championships at Lake of the Ozarks, on October 16, 2016, it was a beautiful day. Highs were in the mid 80s and people were out enjoying the day, getting some final cleanup work done in their yards and docks. I was fishing with Jeff Sell of the Leavenworth Bass Club on a long stretch of docks just off the main channel. I had just put my second keeper in the boat as we were talking to a gentleman who was working on his boat before he winterized it.
I heard someone crying and as I was looking around to find out where this was coming from, I noticed a lady, possibly in her mid 60s, in the water. She was fully clothed and seemed to be struggling. I told Jeff that I thought the woman was hurt and couldn't get back on her dock. We threw the rods on the deck, yelled at the gentleman working on his boat that his neighbor was hurt and sped her way with the trolling motor on high, as she was only three docks away.
As we approached the lady in the water, we noticed that she was in a lot of pain and could see blood running down her arm. I got the boat as close to the dock as possible and Jeff jumped off to help get her ladder put in the water. The wind had picked up and was gusting to over 20 mph and was pushing my boat back into the dock and would have pushed it right into the lady in the water.
As Jeff lowered her ladder into the water, she was really starting to struggle and told us that she had been in the water for over 30 minutes, trying to call for help. The water temp at that time was only 71 degrees and we knew we had to get her out of the water quickly. Jeff stepped down the first couple of steps to where his shoes were in the water, and as the woman let go of the dock to swim 5 feet to the ladder she began to sink. Jeff didn’t hesitate, he dove in after her and pulled her back up and got her back to the ladder. He stayed with her until she got back on the dock.
The neighbor arrived, brought some towels and placed a chair in the sun to get her warmed back up. At this time we could see the severity of her injuries, with major cuts to her arms and legs that would most likely need stitches. I continually asked her if she hit her head, which is when she told us that she was blowing the leaves off of her seawall and slipped and fell into the water. I looked at the sea wall and it was a 5-foot drop to the water with some larger rock mixed in at the base of the wall. I asked again if she had hit her head and she finally replied that she didn’t. By this time she was starting to warm back up and was worried that her husband (who was just now arriving at the dock) might have to watch the Kansas City Chiefs game from the ER.
After the neighbor and her husband were on the dock and taking care of her, we knew the lady was going to be all right, so Jeff got back into the boat with his soggy clothes, soaked wallet and now non-working phone. We stuck around to make sure that everything was going to be fine and were reassured by the husband and neighbor that they had it under control, so we continued with the tournament.
I now have a new hero in my life and his name is Jeff Sell of the Leavenworth Bass Club.
