Michael Atkins (Photo courtesy of Ozark County Times)
A man was rescued from drowning during the weekend in Ozark County. According to the Ozark County Times, Davin and Kasey Friend of Gainesville were on their way to a fish fry when they spotted part-time Theodosia resident Michael Atkins in Bull Shoals Lake.
Atkins says he was spending the day fishing alone on Bull Shoals Lake. He decided to go back to land and tied the boat at the courtesy dock, but when he came back with his Jeep and trailer, the boat was floating away. Atkins says he hurried to back the trailer to the water, threw his cellphone in the Jeep and jumped in the water.
The wind was blowing, and the boat was floating faster than Atkins could swim. He says he ran out of energy halfway to the boat, and it was tough to keep his head above water. Atkins would put his arm up and yell when he could. The parking lot had plenty of trucks and trailers, but everyone was out fishing.
The Friends normally head from Gainesville to Salem General Baptist Church in Ocie plenty early when the church where Davin Friend serves as pastor hosts its annual fish fry, but different tasks around their residence delayed their departure. They were traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 160 and reached the east end of the Theodosia Bridge at approximately 3:30 Saturday afternoon. Davin Friend says he and his wife observed the boat drifting loose with its bumpers out and a Jeep backed into the water. The Friends then spotted someone in the water, and Kasey Friend noticed the man going under.
They hurried to the dock to hear Atkins say he was drowning. Kasey Friend jumped into the water immediately, fully-dressed, heading for Atkins. Davin Friend took his clothes and shoes off, jumped into the water, passed his wife and told her to go back.
By the time Davin Friend reached Atkins, the boat had floated to the other side of the cove beside the courtesy dock. Davin Friend got his arm under Atkins, and they swam across the cove to his boat.
The Friends’ five-year-old son, Hudsyn, was with his parents. He unbuckled himself from his carseat as they were rescuing Atkins and ran to the dock while his mother was swimming back. After helping her back to shore, Hudsyn ran back to the car to get the cellphone and said he was going to call his grandfather for help. Kasey Friend told him to call 9-1-1, but Atkins said that wasn’t necessary.
Davin Friend (Photo courtesy of Ozark County Times)
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