Couple Adrift on Lake 4 Days Are Rescued
A couple, stranded four days without food or water on their boat in a remote area of a lake, were rescued Friday by two boaters.
John and Gertrudd Prentice, both 61, had been stuck in Lake Woodruff in Volusia County since Monday, when the top of their boat snagged a branch near the shore and became entangled in the trees. The boat was in an area not frequently patrolled by sheriff’s marine deputies, Senior Deputy Steve Miklos said.
The couple drank rainwater to survive. Worried about his wife’s heart condition, John Prentice used a life jacket and swam for miles in an unsuccessful search for help, Miklos said.
“They did everything they could do under their circumstances,” he said.
The Prentices were taken to a hospital, where they were treated for hypothermia and dehydration. Gertrudd Prentice was released, but her husband remained hospitalized in stable condition.
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