JACKSON COUNTY, Ind. — A man was rescued from a river in southern Indiana after his innertube came undone Saturday.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department received a call around 5:30 p.m. about a man in the White River near the Bellford Public Access Site.
The caller advised that the man, later identified as 23-year-old Dalton Sawyer, had been floating down the river in an innertube with a group of friends when his innertube had come undone from one of his friends' kayaks.
Authorities said it took the group 10 minutes to realize that Dalton had disappeared.
Deputy's Scott Ferguson, Kevin Settle and Aaron Wilkins responded to the scene along with members of the Hamilton Township Fire Department and Brownstown Fire Department. Brownstown Fire Department responded with their air boat for search and rescue.
The deputies and Hamilton Township fire members searched along the riverbanks to try and find Dalton.
During their search, police said Wilkins spotted "something blue in color" stuck in a log jam. Settle then confirmed that Dalton had been floating in a blue innertube.
Brownstown Fire Department made their way to the log jam on the air boat and found Dalton still in the innertube but unresponsive.
Fire department members then positioned the air boat next to Dalton and removed him from the water.
He was taken to the Schneck Medical Center for further treatment. Police said he was treated and released with no injuries.
”If not for the quick response and teamwork from all the agency's involved the outcome could have been deadly," Sheriff Rick Meyer said.
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