La Crosse boat patrol, public credited for Memorial Day water rescue

Police urge boaters to consider the welfare of others on the water

A water rescue by La Crosse police and other boaters this week may have saved lives. 

Police say the boat patrol on Monday witnessed two large boats at full throttle on the Black River just south of the railroad bridge.  They witnessed the massive wake the boats were throwing and saw how that wake capsized a smaller boat, tossing three people into the water. 

The boat patrol officers, along with three other boats, helped rescue the victims. 

One of the guys said he didn’t know how to swim and had just spent $50 on the life jacket he was wearing, thinking he’d never use it. 

Police towed the overturned boat to shore.

While the capsizing didn’t occur within a “No Wake” zone, police urge more conscientious boating to avoid similar accidents.  

Police are asking for public help in identifying the two boats responsible for the swamping.