3 rescued after boat capsizes on Mississippi River
10/08/2026
Three duck hunters are safe after their boat flipped on the Mississippi River on Saturday morning, according to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened around 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, near Brownsville, Minnesota, on the Wisconsin side of the river, the sheriff’s office said. The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatch center was notified that a boat had capsized in the river’s main channel, across from Wildcat Park and Marina.
The boat was a 14- to 15-foot flat-bottom vessel being used for duck hunting, the sheriff’s office said. The operator, Eric Lee Southard, 60, of Appleton, reported that a wave of water came over the bow as he tried to slow or stop the boat, possibly while making a turn. The boat filled with water and capsized. Southard also reported that weeds or other vegetation caught near the propeller may have contributed.
Southard and two other men, ages 18 and 42, entered the water. All three were able to put on personal flotation devices.
As the three men drifted south, they were brought aboard a Stoddard-Bergen Fire Department rescue boat. Brownsville Fire Rescue arrived with its boat and took Southard to shore. The other two men were taken to shore aboard the Stoddard-Bergen Fire Department boat.
At Wildcat Landing, Emplify Health ground EMS evaluated all three men. They were cold from exposure to the water but declined transport, the sheriff’s office said. The air temperature in the Brownsville area was about 50 degrees at the time.
The boat was recovered and returned to shore, along with most of the occupants’ personal property.
The sheriff’s office said it is important to wear properly fitted personal flotation devices while on the water. The sheriff’s office said waterfowl hunters often wear heavy clothing, which can make an unexpected fall into cold water dangerous, and that wearing a personal flotation device can make a difference in an emergency.