On Saturday, Jan 2, 2021, a boating accident left a northwest Louisiana man dead and another had to be treated for hypothermia when their boat sank. A third angler had been fishing with them earlier in the day and relayed what happend through a mutual friend Charlie Burrow. Burrow talks in greater detail about the accident in his latest crappie fishing video here.
According to the third angler, the two anglers, Deandre Felanze Marshall and Frederick Gladney of Keithsville, La were fishing late in the afternoon when the wind got up. According to Gladney, the waves were picking the boat up and down and one of those waves picked the boat up and set it down on a tree. The boat began taking on water and the last thing Gladney remembers is being in the water.
TPWD game wardens Jack Pearl and Charles “Rob” Furlow Jr. received the 911 call in Marion County about a bass boat sinking on Lake O’ the Pines and men in the water.
When they arrived at 7pm, Marshall was found floating in his life vest reportedly drowned. Gladney was alive floating in his vest, but in bad shape from hypothermia. The two wardens were able to get Gladney out of the water, get him out of his wet clothes and then shielded him with their body heat and clothes to keep him protected until the ambulance could arrive, saving the man’s life. They were assisted on shore by additional wardens.
The TPWD has a boating accident reconstruction team investigating the cause of the accident. And the Corps of Engineers will be removing the sunk boat soon.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please always wear your life vest this time of year. It saved Gladney’s life in very dangerous conditions.
Read our article, It’s Time to Talk About Life Jackets, for help in choosing a good one.