Man rescued from water after runaway boat incident in Cathedral Park

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A man was rescued near North Portland's Cathedral Park Friday afternoon after slipping out of his boat, which then proceeded to run in circles in the river until emergency crews responded.

At around 1:15 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue crews along with the Multnomah County River Patrol and the United States Coast Guard Station Portland responded to the rescue on report of runaway 16-foot boat in the river and a man in the water yelling for help.

When the first PF&R crew arrived at the scene, they found another boater rescuing the man from the water, bringing him back to the dock. Officials say the rescued boater told crews the boat had a full tank of fuel, so it would be out in the water for a long time unless crews were able to wrangle it and shut off the engine.

After several attempts, PF& R's fireboat and MCSO River Patrol succeeded in lassoing the boat, shutting off the engine and towing it back to the dock.

Officials say the incident arose when the boater accidentally sped up and sharply turned the boat with the tiller, causing him to lose balance and fall in the water.

PF&R cautions that if any boater has a vessel with an engine cut-off switch, to properly and securely attach a safety lanyard to yourself so your boat's engine will shut down automatically if you are thrown from your boat or tossed away from steering or other controls.