At 9:31pm the Watertown Police Department was contacted by an individual who was canoeing on the Big Sioux River between 3rd Avenue and 10th Avenue NW. He discovered a Kayak that had been overturned and lodged in some trees. Inside the Kayak was a life-jacket.

Unaware if there was a victim in the water or not, police requested the Codington County Search and Rescue Team to respond and check the area for someone who may have fallen out.

Thanks to assistance from the public the police were able to locate an adult female on social media who had posted about her ordeal on Facebook. Police contacted her at home. She advised that she had fallen out of the Kayak and almost drowned after it become lodged in the swift current and took on water. The female said that she had lost the Kayak in the current, but was able to get out of the river. She was not injured and went home.

In this type of incident, residents are encouraged to contact the police department to report the incident. Unattended watercraft are an obvious concern for responders. This response could have been prevented by simply making a call to the police department to make them aware of the situation.