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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, October 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 20, 2004 Rivergoers rescued after missing a boat channel By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Two Medford men spent an extra hour on the water Sunday when their drift boat got hung up underneath a temporary bridge across the Rogue River. Bill Daugherty, 54, and Peter Nguyen, 24, were drifting downstream about 7:30 p.m. when Daugherty failed to steer through a boat channel under the temporary bridge and drifted into debris that had collected under the span. "I just missed it," Daugherty said after a Jackson County sheriff’s boat plucked him and Nguyen off the boat and brought them to a boat ramp at a city park just downstream from the bridge. "I just couldn’t pull it back out. "It’s my first day out," he said. "I’m new at it." The temporary bridge was built when workers began building a new suspension bridge over the river. The temporary bridge, immediately upstream from the new suspension bridge, allows workers to move equipment and materials around the site. Advertisement Daugherty’s boat lodged in logs and debris that have collected under the pilings of the temporary bridge. He said a boat following behind him saw him miss the channel and called for help. Emergency rescue units from both Jackson and Josephine counties converged on the scene in drizzling rain. A Jackson County sheriff’s boat brought Daugherty and Nguyen to safety, then returned to pull Daugherty’s boat free. Nguyen said they were sheltered from rain showers by the deck of the temporary bridge during the hour they were stuck. "Under the bridge it was nice and warm," Nguyen said. Jackson County sheriff’s Sgt. Pat Rowland said the river’s current at the site wants to pull boats away from the channel. He noted that two people with developmental disabilities ran into trouble at the same site about a month ago when they failed to steer their raft through the channel. They weren’t wearing life jackets and their raft nearly went under, Rowland said. Rowland said neither Daugherty or Nguyen would be cited in connection with their mishap. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities