STANDISH, Maine (AP) — The sheriff in Maine’s most populous county needed to be rescued after his kayak capsized in Sebago Lake.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce suffered symptoms of hypothermia following the episode Wednesday and was taken to Maine Medical Center as a precautionary measure, officials said.
Joyce called out for help as he clung to the overturned kayak. A passerby with a canoe helped Joyce get to shore.
The water temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Maine Warden Service will investigate as it does all boating accidents with injuries.
It was not clear if Joyce was wearing a life jacket. Officials said life jackets should always be worn on the water, but especially early in the season when colder water can cause hypothermia and drowning in minutes
A 75-year-old Perry man drowned last week when the 12-foot aluminum boat he was using to check baitfish traps overturned on East Pike Brook. The man was thrown into the water without a life jacket.
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