A man died Sunday night after capsizing his canoe in Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson earlier that same afternoon.
Kenneth Soucy, 43, of Farmingdale was pulled out of the water and to shore by Jefferson resident Terry Beal after his canoe capsized in approximately seven feet of water on Sept. 6.
Soucy and his son, Alex, 23, were in their canoe between 30-40 feet from shore when it flipped over at approximately 2:15 p.m.
Kenneth Soucy did not resurface after the boat overturned, according to Maine Game Warden Doug Kulis. Beal, who had witnessed the incident from shore, swam out and pulled Soucy in. The son was able to swim to shore on his own.
Beal said he heard the splash as he was just 20 yards away, reading a book on shore. He saw two people in the water. Beal said he watched them until he thought they had everything under control and then went back to reading his book until he heard the call for help. Beal swam out to the younger Soucy.
Beal said the son pointed and said, “my father, my father.”
Carrying a personal floatation device, Beal swam in the direction the son pointed. On finding Kenneth Soucy under the surface, Beal pulled him out.
“You do what you can,” Beal said. “It was a difficult situation, trying to get him up on shore.” Beal said his sister-in-law helped him pull the unconscious Soucy up on shore and then went to call 911. Emergency personnel told him he was alive when they arrived.
The elder Soucy was transported to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta where he died later that same evening.
Beal said his neighbor, who is an emergency room nurse said Soucy was on life support and breathing until 1 p.m.
According to Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesperson Deborah Turcotte, life jackets were in the canoe at the time. She said the incident is under investigation and officials are awaiting a report from the medical examiner’s office for the suspected drowning.
This is the second incident in recent months on Damariscotta Lake that has taken the life of a boater. A Massachusetts man drowned in late July after his canoe tipped over not far from shore.
