Man rescued from Factory Creek after his boat was spinning without him inside

Lady’s Island-St. Helena Island Fire District and several other rescue agencies responded to help a man in Factory Creek whose boat was spinning in circles without him on Thursday afternoon.

The adult male boat operator was not injured and declined to be interviewed upon returning to White Hall Boat Landing on Factory Creek after the ordeal.

When the man was on the boat near the Newpoint subdivision the throttle got stuck and he was tossed from the boat, according to Battalion Chief Jamie Earle. The man swam to the opposite side of the creek near the marsh grass to avoid being hit by the now-spinning boat.

Earle, on one of the fire district’s jet skis, was on the first rescue craft in the water and went out to pull the man up out of the creek, he said. Department of Natural Resources officers were able to get control of the boat, and the man was able to bring it back to the landing.

The Beaufort Police Department, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Beaufort Water Search and Rescue and a rescue team from Parris Island also responded to the water emergency, according to the fire district.

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Man rescued from Factory Creek after his boat was spinning without him inside."