LAKE COUNTY, Mont. – Lake County Search and Rescue was dispatched to Flathead Lake around 4:40 p.m. on Saturday when the reporting party heard someone calling for help in the middle of the lake.
SAR said two teenagers were attempting to swim a jet ski back to the shore.
When SAR arrived, another boater tried to assist in the rescue, but their engine ended up dying.
The SAR boat towed the teens’ jet ski and brought the boys, who were wearing life jackets, back to shore. The Good Samaritan’s boat started up eventually, so SAR only had to tow the jet ski.
Lake County SAR applauds the teenagers for wearing their life jackets as well as the other boaters who came to their aid.
The SAR team said on Monday they responded to and rescued eight people in ten days this summer, noting that some of those rescued were wearing life jackets and many weren’t. They also said it can take 30 to 40 minutes to reach someone in need of rescue on the water after they are dispatched. People who cannot tread water that long should consider wearing a life jacket, SAR said.
