MASSENA, N.Y. -- Two State Park Police officers are being credited with taking control of a moving 28-foot cabin cruiser Saturday morning on the St. Lawrence River to rescue a boater who had been overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to information released Tuesday, officers John J. Friot and Dustin T. Lottie responded to a 10:50 a.m. report of a vessel in distress on the river near Massena.
Aboard the vessel was a 71-year-old operator, whose name park police did not release. The nature of the distress call also was not disclosed.
Upon responding, the officers were told by the boater that the craft was operational, but they determined they should escort the man back to Robert Moses State Park marina.
On the way back, the vessel started moving erratically, police said. The operator then passed out at the helm, with the boat veering directly toward the Long Sault Control Dam.
Officer Lottie maneuvered the patrol boat alongside the out-of-control cabin cruiser, police said, allowing Officer Friot to jump aboard, gain control and stop the vessel. Officer Lottie then took command of the cruiser, restarted it and drove it to the dock, as an apparent exhaust leak caused smoke and fumes to fill the cabin.
The stricken vessel's operator was taken to Massena Memorial Hospital by ambulance for treatment of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and later released, police said.
Officer Friot is a nine-year veteran of the force, while Officer Lottie has served for eight years, police said.
"The dramatic actions of our park police officers are just the latest examples of what they do day after day to keep New Yorkers safe," State Parks Director of Law Enforcement Richard O'Donnell said. "These civil servants risked their lives to save others, and I commend them for their service to New York."
Copyright 2013 - Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
