Genoa Incident

GENOA, Wis. (WKBT) – One person is dead after getting caught in the roller gates of the Genoa Dam on the Mississippi River.

The incident happened just before 5 p.m. Friday.

According to the Wisconsin DNR, a fisherman had his boat anchored inside the dam’s restricted area, within 150 feet of the dam. When the man was told to leave the restricted area, he pulled up his anchor before starting his boat’s engine. At that point, the boat was already being pulled toward the dam.

The DNR says the man’s boat capsized near the dam and he was pulled under the roller gates by the current.

The fisherman’s body was later recovered from the water. Authorities say he was wearing a life jacket when he was recovered.

The man’s name is not being released at this time.
…………………………………………………………….

Sad news. Prayers to the family. RIP.

Very sad. Thoughts and prayers to the loved ones.

Very sad. This man may not have known the area was resricted. Then being yelled at to leave the area and was probably rattled and not thinking clearly leading to the incident. The people telling him to leave should have told him not to raise anchor til motor is running.

Born wrote:

This man may not have known the area was resricted. Then being yelled at to leave the area and was probably rattled and not thinking clearly leading to the incident. The people telling him to leave should have told him not to raise anchor til motor is running

So much assumption… not even sure why you would post it.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>born wrote:</div>
This man may not have known the area was resricted. Then being yelled at to leave the area and was probably rattled and not thinking clearly leading to the incident. The people telling him to leave should have told him not to raise anchor til motor is running

So much assumption… not even sure why you would post it.

Perhaps because this is a forum where people should be open to commenting? Not trying to be the “forum cop” here but he had a theory that was not offensive, disrespectful, or even judgemental for that matter. In fact it was an offer of compassion for someone who just became deceased.
Seems like your comment/question on why he would post that is an assumption too…?
So why did you post?

I’m with born on this one all the way.
I could easily seeing it happen that way.
Very good point born
Never the less, prayers go out to this gent and his family. So sad

It implies others were at fault… by either their lack of telling him how to control his boat, or asking him to leave an area he was not suppose to be in in the first place.

The simple suggestion others should have acted differently is incorrect and totally assuming. Put blame where it belongs. It was a terrible accident – one the person driving and anchoring the boat should have avoided.

Anyone ever fishing that area is simply not paying any attention if they get into that area to fish. There are signs. It isn’t a calm, quiet spot – it is turbulent, noisy and intimidating. Actually a little scary. Thankfully no one made the mistake of getting caught up in trying to save him, or we could be reading about multiple fatalities.

It is terrible, and I feel for his family – BUT, we should not imply others created or added to the situation that got this person killed. How would they feel reading a post suggesting they were at fault even in some simple manner…. since we are all about feelings and compassion.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

It implies others were at fault… by either their lack of telling him how to control his boat, or asking him to leave an area he was not suppose to be in in the first place.

The simple suggestion others should have acted differently is incorrect and totally assuming. Put blame where it belongs. It was a terrible accident – one the person driving and anchoring the boat should have avoided.

Anyone ever fishing that area is simply not paying any attention if they get into that area to fish. There are signs. It isn’t a calm, quiet spot – it is turbulent, noisy and intimidating. Actually a little scary. Thankfully no one made the mistake of getting caught up in trying to save him, or we could be reading about multiple fatalities.

It is terrible, and I feel for his family – BUT, we should not imply others created or added to the situation that got this person killed. How would they feel reading a post suggesting they were at fault even in some simple manner…. since we are all about feelings and compassion.

Well put.
DT

deertracker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Chuck Melcher wrote:</div>
It implies others were at fault… by either their lack of telling him how to control his boat, or asking him to leave an area he was not suppose to be in in the first place.

The simple suggestion others should have acted differently is incorrect and totally assuming. Put blame where it belongs. It was a terrible accident – one the person driving and anchoring the boat should have avoided.

Anyone ever fishing that area is simply not paying any attention if they get into that area to fish. There are signs. It isn’t a calm, quiet spot – it is turbulent, noisy and intimidating. Actually a little scary. Thankfully no one made the mistake of getting caught up in trying to save him, or we could be reading about multiple fatalities.

It is terrible, and I feel for his family – BUT, we should not imply others created or added to the situation that got this person killed. How would they feel reading a post suggesting they were at fault even in some simple manner…. since we are all about feelings and compassion.

Well put.
DT

x2.

I was just talking with my Favorite Dam Cousin about this on Friday evening. They have had some people boating in the restricted area above Dam #3 (not anchoring). The lock operators get on the horn/loud speaker and tell them they are in a restricted area.

On the third announcement, they were informed that the Sheriff would be called if they didn’t move out of the MARKed area. <sigh>
Side note, it would be the lock operators that would have to risk their lives to retrieve these people because rescue can not get there fast enough)

I think back to my first time on the river with my family. The FW wanted to go out on Memorial Day weekend. Who knew that everyone with a boat that could float would be on the river? Anyone that’s been on the river before, that’s who.

As I came in to the Prescott No Wake zone I backed off on the throttle and plowed along at a safe speed. Well, I didn’t get very far before seeing the blue lights of the sheriff’s boat. After he explained to me what No Wake meant and going through the check list he wrote me a citation and suggested I go over to Leos Landing and get a copy of the boating rules.

I’ve been boating on and off all my life on little pot hole lakes in MN. No USCG, Sheriff, DNR or navigational sign presents much less a dam. Although embarrassed at the time, that $45.00 ticket might have been the best thing that happened to me for boating on the river. It’s each boaters responsibility to know the rules. It’s not the lock operators responsibility or anyone else.

The only trouble I have with the above indecent and my ticket is…
How does a person know to ask questions when he doesn’t know?

I was very happy to see in the Skeeter owners manual they listed The Rules of the Road. In fact there was more about safety on the water then there was about how to run the boat. I’m sure all boat manufacturers have included them now a day…at least I hope so.

It’s always 300′ or more above the dam and 150′ (or more at times) below the dam that’s restricted. Whether he knew what those white and orange buoy’s meant is another story.

Someone is missing a loved one because of a fish. That’s just not right.

From L&D #3 a while back. Dean Marshall won’t ever forget the look on their faces.

Kris Johnson, a deputy in the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Four Seasons Patrol as told in Oct 2009.

The story goes, as I recall it: a guy and his girlfriend were enjoying their personal watercraft (like jet skis) on the Mississippi River just above Lock and Dam #3 near Red Wing.

All of a sudden both crafts stopped working and the couple was caught in the current heading toward the dam. No one was around to help.

The guy caught one of the ropes hanging over the falls but his girlfriend didn’t. She disappeared and soon he was so exhausted from the push of the water against him that he let go and was swept over the dam.

This could have been the end of the story.

But in the river just below the dam were a group of fishermen. They saw the two watercraft explode out of the water and then saw the guy near by. They rescued him.

But there was no sight of the girl.

Unknown to anyone, she had gone over the dam but had gotten lodged under the falls in an air pocket! She was alive but no one knew it. And she couldn’t get word to anyone.

The roar of the falls around her was deafening.

It got to the point that she gave up any hope of surviving.

She just knew that she couldn’t stand the roaring sound any longer and so she slipped back into the falls to what she thought was certain death.

And this could have been the end of the story too.

But instead she came up in the same party of fishermen who had found her boyfriend!

This happy ending is not the usual result of these types of traumas on the river but sure is nice to hear.

A newspaper reporter that originally told me about this said he wanted to interview the girl a couple months after the incident. She wouldn’t talk about it.

Well put BK. Honestly, I would like to see it increased to a safer level. 200′-300? One life lost is too much. The fish are on the move and fishing in a dangerous spot is simply not advisable. I would also like to see more buoys for those that are “less informed” spread across the line. One in the middle of the span is easily not seen, or paid attention to. Yes a tragic loss, but not being informed has always been a poor excuse. As stated, a more preventative stance is needed to protect us from ourselves.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

So much assumption… not even sure why you would post it.

Go away…

Sad story, sorry to all involved…

Tim Bossert wrote:

Well put BK. Honestly, I would like to see it increased to a safer level. 200′-300? One life lost is too much. The fish are on the move and fishing in a dangerous spot is simply not advisable. I would also like to see more buoys for those that are “less informed” spread across the line. One in the middle of the span is easily not seen, or paid attention to. Yes a tragic loss, but not being informed has always been a poor excuse. As stated, a more preventative stance is needed to protect us from ourselves.

Agreed.

Why isn’t it more like 400-500′ though? How dare something logical be implemented to protect fishermen/boaters AND some of the small sauger and walleye that run up to area dams. Oh the blasphemy!

No matter what people preach about awareness, reading regulations, etc. – there will always be uninformed boaters on the water. Just go sit at an area landing/marina for one hour, and tell me that you’d want to meet some of those people on a waterway or have them anywhere near a dam. If I cringe watching someone launch a boat, there’s no way I want to be within eye sight of them running at wide open speed.

I’d love to see a more prominent line of buoys and an increased distance of 400-500′ below dams year round with harsh penalties. 1 life lost is too many.

Well put
as far as the numskulls, B.B.

Who’s to say a greater distance would make any difference? If someone isn’t going to pay attention to a sign at 200′, what makes you think they would at 400′?
I agree, a situation like this provides an opportunity to reevaluate current rules, but there are enough people out there that disregard them anyway so I wonder if a change would even make any difference?
Could it hurt? NO!

Sometimes folks have a false sense of security, I think it’s hard (for some) to fathom that a seemingly harmless fishing trip could end that way. Very sad.

belletaine wrote:

Sometimes folks have a false sense of security, I think it’s hard (for some) to fathom that a seemingly harmless fishing trip could end that way. Very sad.

I was thinking along those same lines. Motor starts, there is no story here. A similar chain of events led to me swamping and capsizing my boat out on Mille Lacs. Motor starts, and there would have been no problems. One little problem set off a chain of events and inside of a 2 minute period I go from fishing – no problem to standing on the bottom side of my boat hull looking for a ride in. It happens….

-J.

You cant make laws to protect everyone. The signs are blatently visible around dams he most likely knew what he was doing. Kind of common sense not to fish on top of a dam in rushing water. Its like not giving up your fishing spot until the tug with barges is 100 ft away. Seen that a few times on the river.

Sad to say the least but very well could have been prevented.

A few people who were there commented on facebook and it sounds like the guy was not told to get out of there but that he pulled his TM before he started his main motor and was pulled towards the rollers. Sounds like 1-2 boats tried tossing him a rope.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Who’s to say a greater distance would make any difference? If someone isn’t going to pay attention to a sign at 200′, what makes you think they would at 400′?
I agree, a situation like this provides an opportunity to reevaluate current rules, but there are enough people out there that disregard them anyway so I wonder if a change would even make any difference?
Could it hurt? NO!

You must have missed the part about the “more prominent line of buoys.” I agree completely that everyone cannot be saved by signs, buoys, etc. However, to say that the danger of a drowning or other accident doesn’t increase as one nears a dam is complete ignorance. There’s absolutely NO need for anyone to be fishing within 300-400′ of a dam. Extend the boundary as it costs nothing to do – and we may even save a person’s life (or a few thousand dink saugers/walleyes each year).

This would not require extensive legislation or excessive tax dollars, and would have a positive impact on fish populations on many rivers while protecting human lives and making dam workers’ jobs easier.

belletaine wrote:

Sometimes folks have a false sense of security, I think it’s hard (for some) to fathom that a seemingly harmless fishing trip could end that way. Very sad.

…..x2

Brian Klawitter wrote:

From L&D #3 a while back. Dean Marshall won’t ever forget the look on their faces.

Kris Johnson, a deputy in the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Four Seasons Patrol as told in Oct 2009.

The story goes, as I recall it: a guy and his girlfriend were enjoying their personal watercraft (like jet skis) on the Mississippi River just above Lock and Dam #3 near Red Wing.

All of a sudden both crafts stopped working and the couple was caught in the current heading toward the dam. No one was around to help.

The guy caught one of the ropes hanging over the falls but his girlfriend didn’t. She disappeared and soon he was so exhausted from the push of the water against him that he let go and was swept over the dam.

This could have been the end of the story.

But in the river just below the dam were a group of fishermen. They saw the two watercraft explode out of the water and then saw the guy near by. They rescued him.

But there was no sight of the girl.

Unknown to anyone, she had gone over the dam but had gotten lodged under the falls in an air pocket! She was alive but no one knew it. And she couldn’t get word to anyone.

The roar of the falls around her was deafening.

It got to the point that she gave up any hope of surviving.

She just knew that she couldn’t stand the roaring sound any longer and so she slipped back into the falls to what she thought was certain death.

And this could have been the end of the story too.

But instead she came up in the same party of fishermen who had found her boyfriend!

This happy ending is not the usual result of these types of traumas on the river but sure is nice to hear.

A newspaper reporter that originally told me about this said he wanted to interview the girl a couple months after the incident. She wouldn’t talk about it.

Crazy! This was my friends cousin, he told me this story a couple times and always assumed he was exaggerating, I guess not…