Men Get Lost On Great Miami River Fishing Trip

By Mike Perleberg (Whitewater Township, Oh.) – Two fishermen lost in the woods of Whitewater Township were rescued by first responders on Monday. Barry Werning, 58, Green Township and Dan Adams, 56, of Cleves, went fishing in a four-person rubber raft on the Great Miami River at around noon Sunday, said Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. William Crock, Jr. Werning and Adams decided to exit the raft and walk through the woods along the river at about 9:00 Sunday night. They became lost and continued walking for about 6 ½ hours. By 3:00 a.m. Monday, the lost men became physically unable to continue walking and collapsed in the woods, Crock said. Later in the morning, deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office including the aviation unit, Rangers from the Great Parks of Hamilton County, and EMT paramedics and search and rescue firefighters from Whitewater Township and Miami Township began an extensive search of the Great Miami River by air, ground, and water. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit located the men at around 9:00 a.m. about 100 yards from the river bank. They were both in distress, according to the sheriff’s office. The Miami Township and Whitewater Township search and rescue teams took the men into rescue boats due to their location. The sheriff’s helicopter landed on the banks of the river, and took each man one at a time to another landing zone where paramedics were waiting to treat them. The men were transported to Mercy West Hospital where they were listed in fair condition.