TREMPEALEAU, Wis.- An elderly man is rescued when his boat capsizes below the Trempealeau Lock and Dam Monday morning.

According to Central Area Lockmaster Terry Jessessky, a barge captain entering the locks radioed there was a man in the water below the dam.

A worker at the lock then launched a rescue boat to get the man, who was hanging on to the capsized boat floating downriver about 300-400 feet below the dam's restricted area.

First Responders and Tri-State paramedics treated the man at a boat landing before transporting him to a La Crosse hospital.

Jessessky says the man was in the 45 degree water for approximately 10-15 minutes before his rescue.

The man was backing up his boat according to Jessessky, when it started taking on water.

Lock and Dam staff are trained to handle emergency rescues like the one Monday, Jessessky says. He adds they do rescue drills to prepare for these situations.

This is the first time since last summer Lock and Dam staff performed an actual rescue. The last one happened to the north of the dam.

Article Courtesy: WXOW La Crosse