Pontoon Boat Is Swept Over Dam; 1 Dead

Another 8 are rescued
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2015 11:33 AM CDT

Tragic, but it could have been much worse: Authorities rescued eight people who were aboard a pontoon boat when it got swept up in the current on Maryland's Lake Linganore yesterday and went over a dam, reports the Frederick News Post. They could not, however, save the boat's 62-year-old operator, Stephen Hembree, who was found hours later, having been trapped under the falling water, reports NBC News.

"Neighbors heard calls for help and saw people hanging over the dam," says a Frederick County fire official. Four of the survivors managed to cling to a tree on the edge of the dam, while others were plucked from the dam's spillway. The cause of the afternoon accident is unclear, though heavy rain was reported in Frederick County around the time. (More boat accident stories.)

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