Accident unrelated to tournament
Despite heroic rescue attempts by Operation Bass officials, a 17-year-old Eufaula, Okla., boy was presumed drowned after jumping from a southbound construction barge on Fort Gibson Lake during day two of the EverStart Batteries Series Central Division tournament. The victim, Cameron Williams, was attempting to swim to shore with two co-workers at the time of the accident.
Witnesses said they saw the boys, who had no relation to the EverStart tournament, jump into the lake at approximately 2:30 p.m. – about one-half hour before the start of the day-two EverStart weigh-in. As the boys swam toward shore, approximately 40 yards from where they first jumped from the barge, witnesses noticed instantly that something was wrong.
“(The victim) was the last of the boys to jump into the water,” said a construction worker who was building a dock not more than 50 yards from the accident. “It seemed like they were playing around and then I saw the boy take a big gulp of water. Then he went under.”
EverStart fans, who were gathering for the afternoon weigh-in, saw the unfolding tragedy and immediately contacted Operation Bass officials. Within seconds, Operation Bass staffers Gary Peck and Ronnie Brinegar dove into the cloudy waters and searched frantically for the boy.
“(The victim) was down maybe two minutes by the time we got out there,” said Peck.
“We saw the kids jump in the lake and then we realized they were in trouble,” said Brinegar, who was visibly shaken up by the incident. “It all happened so fast. We just ran down there and jumped in.”
Peck and Brinegar were joined in the search by pro angler Koby Krieger, who was nearby, and Ranger Boat representative, Scott Arms. After an extensive search of the area, Operation Bass officials eventually retreated to shore. Minutes later the Wagoner Emergency Medical Services unit arrived. The EMS was followed by members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – who had join-jurisdiction over the lake with the Wagoner County Lake Patrol.
At about 3:20 p.m., officials began the grim task of dragging the lake. Making a grid-like pattern with the boat for approximately 20 minutes, officials eventually located the victim. Williams, a local football star at Eufaula High School, was brought to Wagoner Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 4:22 p.m.
EverStart officials said the entire incident affected everyone involved.
“It’s really sad,” said Peck. “It really goes to show you that you can be here one minute and gone the next.”
Other EverStart officials agreed that the incident was unnerving.
“I have never seen anything like that,” said Brinegar. “I saw him go down and take his last breath. Yeah, it was tough to go back to work after that.”
It was unclear why Williams was unable to swim to shore.
“I was swimming right beside him and he started yelling for help. I tried, but I couldn’t hold him up,” said Trevor Armstrong, 17, a friend of the victim. “He grabbed hold of my wrist and started pulling me under. I eventually got free and when he came up again to the surface, I tried to pull him to safety. But then he slipped out of my grasp.”
The other survivor, 17-year-old Avery Shine, said he wasn’t aware there was a problem until he got to shore.
“I didn’t see anything,” said Shine, who was clearly distraught by the June 8 accident. “I didn’t know he was in trouble.”
Coy Rowe, Wagoner County deputy sheriff, praised Operation Bass, anglers and witnesses for their assistance.
“I give Operation Bass (EverStart) officials and the fisherman a lot of credit,” said Rowe. “They marked the area and really were a big help in locating the body. Without them, the victim probably would still be in the lake. We might never have found him if it wasn’t for them. It really helps the family in the grieving process to know that their loved one was found.”