Man, 69, Pulled From Water Dies

A 69-year-old Northridge man found submerged in Lake Piru after falling out of his fishing boat died Wednesday.

John Fulkerson was fishing in the middle of the lake about 10 a.m. when he fell out of the small, low-profile fishing boat, said Senior Deputy Frank Underlin, a rescue swimmer with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

There were only a handful of people on the lake at the time but several noticed the man’s boat circling erratically without anyone inside, Underlin said.

The Sheriff’s Department helicopter search and rescue team was called and arrived within 15 minutes, spotting Fulkerson face down in the water. Two rescue swimmers were dropped into the water just as a rescue boat arrived.

“He was in full cardiac arrest, no pulse and he wasn’t breathing,” Underlin said.

The man was hoisted onto the rescue boat and taken to the dock, where paramedics administered first aid. He was then flown by helicopter to Simi Valley Adventist Hospital where he was pronounced dead just after 11 a.m., a hospital spokeswoman said.

Officials still do not know what caused Fulkerson to fall into the water. Although there were several life vests in the boat, he was not wearing one. He had no visible injuries, officials added.

Coroner’s officials are conducting an autopsy to determine if Fulkerson had a heart attack before falling into the water.