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Surfer survives 14 hours at sea

October 25th, 2009

When John Baker III stepped into the water at surfside, he never expected it would be nearly 14 hours and 14 miles later before he could get out. He found himself stuck in currents he couldn?t avoid.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — When John Baker III stepped into the water at surfside, he never expected it would be nearly 14 hours and 14 miles later before he could get out.  He found himself stuck in currents he couldn’t avoid.

“[It was] because of the turbulence at the end of the jetty and the fact that I couldn’t cross that rip current again,” said Baker.

Baker had been surfing for over 40 years.  He’s a former Coast Guard man who knows the water. He also used to organize rescues.

But on Friday, he needed one of those rescues himself.

“I left here about 10:30 Thursday morning got down to Surfside around noon,” said Baker.

Baker had driven from his Woodlands home to Surfside hoping to catch some good waves, but he quickly found himself in an area by the jetties and he couldn’t get out.

“I paddled for about an hour and it was very obvious I wasn’t making any headway,” said Baker.

Baker says the currents kept pushing him away from shore.  At about 4 p.m., he saw a boat from a rig pass by but the crew didn’t see him in the water.

By 8 p.m., it started getting dark and he was worried about hypothermia.  He had a wet suit on and he kept paddling on his surf board to keep his core temperature up.

At 10 p.m., he spotted an oil rig.  He was now about 10 miles from shore and estimated the rig was about four miles away.

He started counting his strokes. He would paddle 30 times; then rest for a minute before starting the process again.  Each hour he increased his strokes to stay warm — paddling 40 times, then 50 times before allowing himself to rest for a minute in between.

“I knew a helicopter would be out there at first light. I knew I had to survive the night, and if I could, in order to save myself, I had to get to the rig,” said Baker.

By 2 a.m., Baker reached the rig.  He found a rope to hang on to and when the water surged, he used it get as high as possible onto a nearby ladder.

Then he had to climb up the rig.

“By that time, I realized how tired I was,” said Baker.

After climbing into the rig, he climbed a flight of stairs and finally reached a door that he thought was locked.  He banged on the door calling for help.  No one answered.

“I just happened to pull on the knob and opened it,” Baker said, his voice cracking with emotion. By that time, it had been 14 hours since he first started out and it was only then that he knew he had reached safety.

Two men were on the rig and heard Baker come in. They gave him food, a place to warm up and a phone to call his wife of 30 years, Geneva Baker.

Geneva had alerted authorities when Baker hadn’t come home and the Coast Guard was out looking for him.  Finally, around 2:30 a.m., her phone rang.

“She answers her cell phone and I said are you looking for me?” said Baker.

“And I went, ‘John where are you?’ I thought he was washed up on a beach somewhere half way to Galveston,” said Baker’s wife.

Then this former Coast Guard man made one last strategic decision.  He decided not to leave the rig that night, despite the offer from the Coast Guard to pick him up.

“The Coast Guard goes out when your life’s at risk,” Baker said.  “I told them to take those guys home. Call it a day. I’ll make arrangements in the morning.”

“When the Coast Guard called me back and said that he had opted not to come off, I said, ‘What?’” said Geneva Baker, laughing at the memory.

But when the Coast Guard explained to her that John was worried about their safety at night she said, “That sounds just like John. That’s something he would say.”

John does have one regret. He left his surf board at sea to climb the rig.

“I sure miss that board. If someone finds it, I wouldn’t mind having it back.”

Despite his ordeal, Baker says he can’t wait to hit the surf again.

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GALVESTON — A man who drowned Sunday in a rip current off a Galveston pier has yet to be identified, prompting an appeal to the public to learn the man’s name, authorities said Monday.

The man, possibly Hispanic and in his 20s, stood 6 feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. He had short, black hair with gray sides and many distinguishing tattoos, John Florence, a spokesman with the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office, said.

“One was a dragon-type tattoo on his back, and he had the Virgin Mary on his left shoulder,” Florence said. “There was the letter A in Old English on his left hand, plus he had numerous tattoos on his legs and arms and the word ‘Aziel.’”

The man, who had been on a Boogie Board, was found at the end of the 29th Street pier and pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m. The cause of his death was ruled drowning, pending a toxicology exam, Florence said.

The man had the board’s leash wrapped around his wrist, rather than using an easily removable Velcro strip, Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis said.

“It was tied around his wrist five times, and was a major contributor to him drowning,” Davis said. “When the board became wedged between the rocks and with the current pulling him sideways, he was unable to stay afloat.”

The longshore current, estimated at 10 mph, created strong rip currents around the piers, hampering recovery efforts that lasted about 50 minutes, Davis said.

“The current was too strong for even our good swimmers to maintain for very long with fins,” Davis said.

Two lifeguards, who suffered lacerations when they were slammed into the rock pier, returned to work Monday, Davis said.

If no one comes forward with the man’s name, the medical examiner would attempt to identify him with fingerprints, Florence said.

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Texas-born Simon Hughes, 5, doesn’t look intimidating. But put a gun in his hands and pit him against an 800-pound alligator and it’s a different story.

Simon’s been training to handle a gun since he was just 4, his dad told MyFOXHouston — and it’s a good thing, too, or else he could’ve gotten hurt by the mega-gator that wound up on the Hughes family ranch.

The huge alligator bit into a baited hook in a marsh on the property, coming face-to-face with Simon. The boy reacted with lightning speed, grabbing his gun and shooting the reptile in the head.

“It come out, the biggest alligator I’ve ever seen,” Simon told MyFOXHouston. “He did his death roll.”

The reptile was nearly 20 times the 3-foot, 44-pound boy’s size. It didn’t survive the shooting.

Click here for video.

His dad Scott Hughes said there’s a reason he started training his son, who is in kindergarten, to shoot guns at such an early age.

“Everything on the ranch will either bite you or stick you,” he told MyFOXHouston.

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Texas hospitals seeing alarming increase in rattlesnake bites

SAN ANTONIO — Hospitals across central Texas said they are seeing an alarming increase in rattlesnake bites.

Hays County has treated five people for the bites in recent weeks, and Travis County reported eleven rattlesnake bites in the last three months.

So, why the increase now?

Experts say it is mating season for snakes. But the drought is also pushing them into residential areas to find water.

EMS officials in the area have teamed up with experts from the Snake Farm in New Braunfels to educate the public on how to be more careful, and what to do if they come across a rattlesnake.

They said if you get bitten call 911 immediately, because a rattlesnake bite can be deadly.

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Further tests could confirm lightning fatality

By Chris Paschenko 
The Daily News

Published June 6, 2009

CRYSTAL BEACH — Further testing is needed to determine whether a lightning strike killed a Houston man who was jogging during a thunderstorm on Crystal Beach.

A passer-by found Isaias Lara-Martinez facedown in the sand just west of Alma Drive at 4:08 p.m. Wednesday.

A toxicology test and microscopic tissue exams will be needed to help rule out other causes of death, said Galveston County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Pustilnik.

“The tests are to see if some of the marks on the body are from electrical injuries,” Pustilnik said. “It’s not clear cut, just from observing the body.”

A thunderstorm passed through the area Wednesday afternoon, and authorities said Lara-Martinez likely died of a lightning strike because burn marks were found on his torso. Lara-Martinez is believed to have been 38 to 40 years old.

There were no other injuries, and foul play isn’t suspected, said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

If authorities’ beliefs are confirmed, Lara-Martinez’s death would be the second caused by lightning in the state this year.

On March 15, a 63-year-old walking to his car from a Port Aransas beach was hit by lightning, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There were 27 lightning deaths in the state between 1999 and 2008, ranking Texas 27th nationally per capita.

Lightning awareness week begins June 21.

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On the Web:

www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/more.htm

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What To Do

If caught outside during a lightning storm with no shelter such as a building or car nearby, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends as a last resort crouching on the ground with only the balls of your feet touching the earth. Place both feet together, squat low, tuck your head and cover your ears. Lightning produces electrical currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly from more than 100 feet away. Lying flat on the ground increases your chance of being hit by a ground current.

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Woman attacked by pack of dogs in Oak Cliff

 

02:32 PM CDT on Friday, May 22, 2009

 

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News 
eaasen@dallasnews.com 

A 37-year-old woman was hospitalized this morning after she was attacked by five dogs in South Oak Cliff.

Woman attacked by five dogs

The attack happened about 6 a.m. in the 2100 block of Lamont Avenue, near Woodin Boulevard, according to Dallas police. Erica Johnson was transported to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition.

A neighbor, who declined to give his name, said he heard a woman screaming early this morning and called 911.

Dallas Animal Services says the attack happened after the victim was carrying a large stick while walking by the home of the dogs’ owner. He warned the woman not to wave the stick because it would irritate the dogs.

The five dogs, each a ridgeback-heeler mix, jumped the fence and ran after her, biting her in the torso, on the back and on both arms, said Kent Robertson, animal services’ division manager.

The dogs’ owner, 76-year-old H.J. Whitmill, tried to pull the dogs off the woman and was scratched himself. Police said he refused medical treatment.

Neighbors said that motorists had driven by during the attack, and that no one assisted the woman because of the dogs.

Animal Services quarantined the five dogs and issued the owner several citations for lacking current rabies vaccination and registration. Other citations were issued for not having spayed or neutered dogs. In addition, the owner was issued a 10-day notice to repair his fence so his dogs can’t escape.

Six other dogs remained in the yard at the home this morning.

Dallas police Senior Cpl. Gerry Monreal said the relationship between Johnson and Whitmill was unclear.

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Fisherman Spots Gator On Pickens Lake

It made for interesting water cooler conversation Monday morning - an alligator spotted at Herman Baker Park.  KTEN’s Katy Blakey joins us now where the animal is still on the loose.

No sightings so far Monday afternoon, but the animal is out there. A fisherman first spotted it. He didn’t come back with any fish, but he did come back with quite a story.

“I was out there throwing my leer in and pulling it back in,” said Sherman fisherman Damon Stewart. ”I heard something come up behind me but I didn’t think much of it. I threw my leer back out and again and went to roll it back in I turned around. And he lunged at my leg. I jumped out of the way and threw all my tackle down and went out to the point and he went into the water.”

“I heard something creeping up behind me. Didn’t know what it was so I threw my lure out there and reeled it back in. I turned around and when I did he was lunging. I dropped everything and ran out to the point.”

Damon Stewart’s fishing trip quickly ended when he came face-to-face with an alligator. When he got to work Monday, his co-workers didn’t believe him. But animal control backed up his story.  Crews came out to Pickens lake Sunday and they spotted the six-foot-long alligator chomping on a fish. The park was roped off as a precaution.

Police and Stewart don’t think the alligator would attack park visitors, but it could harm a small child. Monday night game wardens will be laying out traps, using chicken fish and maybe marsh mellows to bring the gator to the surface.

Stewart says he will return to the park to fish, but he won’t go into that marshy area again even if they do catch the alligator.

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Five tornadoes hit Roberts, Gray counties

Storm spawns tornadic activity, knocks out power

At least five tornadoes touched down Friday in Roberts and Gray counties, the National Weather Service in Amarillo said.

One motorist was injured and scores of people in Pampa and Lefors had their power knocked out.

“Based on what we saw on radar, we were not surprised we had five tornadoes,” said meteorologist John Cockrell.

One tractor-trailer driver caught in a E2 tornado – winds between 111 and 135 mph – southeast of Pampa – suffered a broken shoulder and damage to his truck. Cockrell said the trucker may have been traveling on Highway 60 when the tornado passed right over him. The tornado was estimated to have been a half-mile wide.

The NWS found one tornado was on the ground for up to 20 minutes, officials said. The tornado was a quarter-mile wide with winds ranging from 86 to 110 mph. It carved a path of about six miles stretching from two miles northwest of Lefors to about four miles southeast of the city, officials said.

Robert Hines of Lefors said he was driving toward Lefors on Spur 398 near the path of the tornado Friday when he watched wind push a pickup traveling ahead of him around the roadway. The wind was fierce.

“It was freaky,” he said. “Just sucking everything off the ground. All I hear was bang, bang.”

Something cracked his windshield, but he said otherwise he was unharmed.

Three other tornadoes touched down nearby. The first hit about 4:45 p.m. 13 miles west of Miami in Roberts County and was on the ground for about a minute.

The second landed about a minute after the first about 14 miles west-southwest of the city. It was on the ground for more than 10 minutes.

The third landed about four or five miles northeast of Pampa, stayed on the ground about eight minutes and covered about three miles.

Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said crews spent most of Saturday working to restore power to residents. By midday Saturday, about 500 customers were without power and Xcel reported about 50 poles east and south of Pampa were lost during the storm.

He said the company had called in more than 70 employees from Pampa, Borger, Amarillo, Hereford, Plainview and Lubbock to rebuild the damaged lines.

He said the infrastructure damage appeared to be caused by straight-line winds.

By the end of day, outages in Lefors and Pampa were estimated to be less than 50 and local crews were expected to work overnight to fix the rest of the outages.

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NORTH AMERICA’S TOP SHARK-ATTACK BEACHES

Stephen RegenoldMay 13, 2009
 

 LAUNCH SLIDESHOW

Where to swim at your own risk in North America

 

The year was 1916, and a hot July had delivered thousands of beachgoers to the Jersey Shore. Waves shrugged on the sand, and swimmers bobbed in their bloomers and caps, escaping the heat in the surf and swells of tepid Atlantic waters.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 What happened next—beginning with a death on Long Beach Island—would forever alter America’s collective consciousness toward swimming in the sea: In an unprecedented 11 days, five major shark attacks took place along the Jersey Shore, four of which were fatal.

Reports cited blood turning the water red and sharks following victims toward the beach. Dorsal fins spiked from placid water. Appropriately, a media frenzy ensued. Patrol boats were deployed to kill sharks offshore. Some beaches installed wire mesh to sequester swimmers from anything big and toothy out beyond the break.

 America has never recovered. Indeed, the Jersey Shore attacks of 1916—though an anomaly never seen before or since—branded an image of sharks as monsters that has trickled now through several generations.

“The common public perception today of a shark is that of a man-eater,” said George Burgess, an ichthyologist at the University of Florida who maintains a database called the International Shark Attack File. “We have an innate fear for big predators and natural forces we can’t control.” But as Burgess and others point out, death by shark bite is extremely rare. Shark experts cite statistics to show you can swim and surf with nary a worry at almost any beach on the planet. You are not a seal. Sharks do not want to eat you.

Or do they?

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF), which relies on decades of data, cites more than 2,000 fatal encounters. At beaches like New Smyrna, the cold statistics can become frighteningly real. To date, 210 attacks have been reported there, and in 2007, three swimmers were bitten by sharks and hospitalized.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

 Despite the paranoia, millions of people each year surf and swim—literally—with the sharks.

 A top example is New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Fla., where Burgess said tiger and black-tip sharks thrive. “Most people who have swum in and around New Smyrna have been within 10 feet of a shark in their lifetime,” he said.

 In Northern California—where deep waters and seal populations draw great white sharks—surfers suit up at places like Stinson Beach to catch waves in a potentially deadly habitat. Patric Douglas, owner of Shark Diver, an ocean guiding outfit in San Francisco, calls Stinson “the granddaddy of all shark beaches.” He said, “It’s common to see 18-footers buzz by surfers bobbing in the waves.”

North America is home to dozens of beaches like New Smyrna where swimmers and sharks intermix, even though the humans may never know it. When the rare attack happens, Burgess said, it’s usually a predatory mistake. “In the surf zone, where many attacks happen, sharks need to make quick decisions,” he said. “Humans on surfboards—hands splashing, feet kicking—can trigger a shark to think there’s trouble or a wounded animal, and it looks like an easy meal.”

 With its thousands of miles of coastlines and millions of beachgoers, the United States sees more shark-human interaction than any other country. Search the ISAF database and you’ll find incidents at beaches from South Carolina to Oregon. There are so many reports, in fact, that California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina and Texas each have dedicated sections in the ISAF.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

On the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, tiger and hammerhead sharks mix with dolphins and humpback whales. There are dozens of popular surf beaches there, including Velzyland Beach and the Leftovers Break to name two. Though untold thousands surf and swim there each year without incident, attacks do occur.

But according to Laleh Mohajerani, executive director of the shark conservation organization Iemanya Oceanica, sharks are not looking to interfere with humans in the water. Our shark-attack fears are irrational, she said. “You are more likely to be hit by lightning.”

 Indeed, there’s no arguing the numbers. Of the millions of people who enter the ocean each year, almost none are touched.

 But for most people, fiery emotions override even the coldest numbers. A single scary story—be it on the news or in an effects-heavy Hollywood production—will destroy the efforts of hundreds of scientists trying to communicate on research and logic.

From Hawaii to the Caribbean, there are 10 beaches among the most infamous for sharks on the planet. Take a dip if you dare.

See our slideshow of North America’s Shark-Attack Beaches.

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Pit bulls attack door-to-door salesman

Posted On: Thursday, May. 7 2009 06:10 AM

By Victor O’Brien
Killeen Daily Herald

Killeen Animal Control quarantined three pit bulls Tuesday after they attacked a door-to-door salesman.

Lillian Bruner, 11, heard loud screams and dogs barking when she was reading outside about 7 p.m. Three white pit bulls attacked and bit a door-to-door security systems salesman in the leg near her grandfather’s home on Shawn and Greenlee drives, Lillian said.

The bite drew blood and left deep bite marks near the victim’s ankle. Lillian ran inside, and yelled for her aunt to get a gun and call 911.

Anne-Marie Bruner, Lillian’s mother, drove up to the scene and helped the man, who was in shock, she said.

The pit bulls then ran after her while she helped the man. They stopped when she turned the corner to bring the man to the house of her father, Bill Kingston.

Killeen police arrived about 45 minutes later and boarded over a hole in the fence that allowed the dogs to escape from their home, Anne-Marie said.

“At that point, it was just kind of surreal,” she said.

The victim declined to be transported by paramedics, opting to have his own doctor provide care and a tetanus shot, said Carroll Smith, Killeen police spokeswoman.

The animals were detained and quarantined by Killeen Animal Control Wednesday night. Smith said a process was in the early stages to have the animals declared vicious or dangerous animals. If declared so, the pit bulls could be euthanized or their owners have heavy fines and regulations placed on the animals.

The pit bulls have been a constant nuisance to the neighborhood, escaping from their fence frequently, Kingston said. The pit bulls cornered him outside his truck one morning in December.

“I honestly feared for my life that morning. They had my back to my pickup,” he said.

Barking from his neighbor’s dogs distracted the pit bulls and allowed Kingston to escape. Now, he carries a golf club for protection.

He called Animal Control that morning, but it was unable to remove the pit bulls because he was not attacked.

The dogs cornered Kingston again just before Christmas. He fought them off with a golf club and called the police. The dogs returned to their yard and were not detained, he said.

Kingston believes city ordinances should allow dogs to be removed before they bite someone, but understands the current laws kept police from taking action that could have prevented Tuesday’s attack.

“I feel these dogs ought to be put down with no question, especially now with a serious bite. I’m glad they’re gone. I’m sorry somebody had to get bit,” Kingston said.

Smith said more information would be available on the animals once the case is processed further through Animal Control.