Man Rescued from Lake Mendota Near UW Lakeshore

• Incident date: July 7, 2014, 7:00 pm
• Incident type: Lake Rescue
• Location/address: UW-Madison Lakeshore

At approximately 7:00 p.m., the UW-Madison Police Department, along with the City of Madison FireDepartment, responded to the Lake Mendota shoreline, near Porter Boathouse, for a report of a man struggling in the water.

According to Madison Fire, a fisherman helped the man get to shore. It was determined that the man was intoxicated, and had planned to swim across the lake. He reached a buoy and realized he couldn’t make it — he then started yelling for help.

The man was not injured — the UW-Madison Police Department transported him to detox, because of his level of intoxication.

Swimming in a natural body of water can always be dangerous because of changing water conditions.  The public is reminded:

• Never swim alone or after using alcohol.
• Never swim at night. Rescues in the dark are nearly impossible.
• Whenever you are near or in a natural water environment, look out for hazards below the water which you cannot see, aquatic life/vegetation that could entangle feet or make swimming difficult, and sudden lake bottom drop-offs that can rapidly change water depth.