An 85-year-old man who fell into Lake Hickory said he is grateful for the St. Stephens firefighters who came to his rescue.
Andy Brinkley said he went to his dock to check the battery on his boat on the afternoon of Feb. 15. Brinkley said he planned to use the boat the next day.
Brinkley didn’t expect to be at the dock for long. He had just placed a chicken into the oven for dinner, he said. “Needless to say, the chicken was black by the time I got it out of the oven,” live-in partner Karen Bennett said.
The boat was suspended over the water and could sway back and forth. Brinkley said as he stepped off the boat onto the deck, the boat moved. Brinkley lost his footing and fell into the 52-degree water. Brinkley was stuck between the boat and the dock, Bennett said.
The cold water took its toll.
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“It was not terrible while I was in the water,” Brinkley said, “but as soon as they got me out and started taking my clothes, hypothermia kicked in. I just started jerking and shivering and was just totally out of control.”
When members of the St. Stephens Fire Department and Catawba County EMS arrived at Brinkley’s home, they found him clinging to one of the support poles under the dock. The water under the dock was approximately 12 feet deep, according to a news release from the fire department.
Brinkley was trapped in the middle of the dock. The only way to get back onto the dock was a ladder on the outside of the enclosed dock. Brinkley said he grabbed on to a pole to keep from drowning.
After donning life jackets, the firefighters entered the water and placed a life jacket on Brinkley. Brinkley said the firefighters helped him over to the ladder through an opening under the dock.
Brinkley said he sustained some scrapes and bruises. The Catawba County EMS took Brinkley to a hospital for treatment. He was released later the same night, he said. Brinkley still has soreness from the fall, he said.
The firefighters were treated and released at the scene, according to the release.
Brinkley estimated he was in the water for around 40 minutes. Bennett said she did not know Brinkley went to the dock that afternoon. She was sitting in the living room area when she heard a noise that sounded like a voice. Bennett said she realized she was hearing Brinkley’s calls for help. Bennett called 911.
“(I thought) ‘How the heck am I getting him out of there?’” Bennett said. “Because he had on a heavy down jacket and it had just totally absorbed the water.”
She added that she was worried when she heard the 911 operator reporting her call as a potential drowning. “I went, ‘Wait, wait, wait, I’m still talking to him (Brinkley),’” Bennett said.
Brinkley and Bennett said they were impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the firefighters.
“What surprised us the most after going through all this,” Bennett said. “We got up on Saturday morning and these guys had come out and sewn grass and hay down where they messed up the yard.” Brinkley added that deed was going beyond what was expected of the firefighters’ duties.
