Boater charged after rescuers save three stranded in reservoir

RCMP are reminding people that drinking and boating don’t mix after a man was charged when he, a woman and a child had to be rescued from the Oldman Reservoir.

On Saturday at around 8:30 p.m., Pincher Creek emergency services personnel were called to the reservoir, just north of Pincher Creek, after a man said his boat had quit and he and his occupants were in peril.

RCMP say there was a thunderstorm moving in when Pincher Creek firefighters, Crowley firefighters and RCMP officers responded to the North Fork boat launch.

The boat was located on the Crowsnest River arm of the reservoir, where it was sitting in a shallow, muddy area. In the boat was a 36-year-old man from Crowsnest Pass, a 32-year-old woman and a seven-year-old child.

RCMP say the adults were intoxicated. The male operator of the boat was arrested and subsequently charged with impaired care and control of a vessel, as well as liquor-related offences.

RCMP are reminding boaters that mixing alcohol and boating creates a dangerous situation for themselves and other boaters.

The penalty and consequences for operating or having care and control of a boat are the same as driving any motor vehicle.

Anyone charged with operating a vessel while impaired is also prohibited from operating any motor vehicle, and their driver’s licence can be seized and suspended under provincial legislation.