The night of Aug. 8 could have quickly turned catastrophic for two Marion County men as their boat sank on the Pearl River, but their calm response to the dire circumstances, along with the quick response from first responders, saved their lives.
Jimmy Evans and Ryan Shirley were floating down the river just north of the Mississippi 44 boat ramp with their motor barely above idle while scouting for alligators around 10 p.m. Evans said Tuesday that he knew there were stumps ahead, but he didn’t know how close they were getting. Shirley shined his light from the front of the boat, and they saw that they were just 10 yards away from a stump.
Evans attempted to get out of the way of the stump, but it was too late. The current pushed the v-bottom boat up against the stump, and the right side filled with water, sinking the boat. Evans said that Shirley held onto the stump, while he held onto the boat for as long as he could until he pushed away from the boat with a paddle and got to a spot where he was able to stand up.
Thankfully, Evans still had his phone on him so he called Sheriff Berkley Hall and told him where he was.
“(Hall) said, ‘The cavalry is on the way.’ About 30 minutes later, Tri-Community and a bunch of rescuers in about three boats came up the river and got us,” Evans said.
While they were waiting on the help, though, Evans attempted to walk across the river using the boat paddle for stability as Shirley was shouting at him not to do it because he could drown.
“But I knew the river. I knew it wasn’t deep there,” Evans said. “(The river) was swift and had a lot of force, but I managed to get away from it.”
The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department responded with three boats, 20 personnel, one fire engine and one squad truck. It was joined by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, AAA Ambulance and Lawrence County Emergency Management Association.
Their story may be a cautionary tale with a happy ending, but Evans warns others not to take the river lightly.
“Respect the Pearl because it can take you,” he said. “I have always, for years, respected the Pearl River.”
The next day, Evans went back out onto the Pearl River with a couple of friends and recovered his boat.
“Motors can be replaced, but lives can’t,” Evans said. “I’m just glad it worked out the way it did.”
While many people in his shoes would have panicked, Evans said he didn’t get too excited because he knows the river and knew he was in shallow enough water that he would be all right.
