Boater dies after apparent medical incident at Hopkinton reservoir
HOPKINTON - A man died after falling off a boat and into the water at Whitehall Reservoir in Hopkinton Thursday afternoon.
First responders say the man had been fishing with his family, including young kids and woman, when he apparently had a medical emergency.
Good Samaritans pull man onto island
A boater first noticed the man in distress and called 911. Good Samaritans in other boats helped drag him onto an island and "provided critical care" until rescuers arrived.
Firefighters from Hopkinton and Westboro put boats in the water went out to the island and brought the man and his family back to shore. The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"I've never seen any accidents on this lake ever before," said Gilles Fillion. "I've been fishing here going on 10 years."
Firefighters say it took them a while to find the victim because it's a big lake with a lot of islands. A tricky reservoir to navigate even for long time regulars.
"Water accidents happen all the time. So it's not terribly surprising. People are unprepared or perhaps have a medical emergency you know, these things can happen," said kayaker Eileen Nikopoulos.
Knowing that anything can happen on the water at any time, their advice to boaters is to always be prepared as best they can.
"I always wear a life jacket because you just never know what's going to happen. I wear this whistle so that if you're in trouble you can blow your whistle and attract people's attention," Nikopoulos said.
Firefighters believe the man had a medical incident. The death remains under investigation by the Hopkinton Police Department and the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.
