On July 17, 2010 at approximately 7:50pm a 911 call came into the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department Central Dispatching System in report of a “Sinking Boat” in Lake Conroe in the area near Edgewood Drive in the Bentwater Subdivision.
Dispatched were members of the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables Marine Division, The Montgomery Fire Department, The North Montgomery County Fire Department, The Lake Conroe Fire Department and the Montgomery County Hospital District EMS.
Upon arrival the Marine Division Sgt. Randy Sanson found the scene to be secure and all the passengers that had been in the water were present safely on shore and being given assistance by the Bak’s.
During this investigation we found that the 911 caller identified as Marcus Bak, of the Bentwater Subdivision, provided the details to the 911 operator and immediately went into a water rescue mode to assist the five (5) persons who were struggling in the water.
Both Bak and his wife (Jill) left the comfort of their home and ran outside grabbing life jackets and ropes and while continuing to observe the boat sinking and the passengers on board struggling to get off the boat, both of the Bak’s jumped into the water and swam to help them.
Mr. and Mrs. Bak assisted the first victim a female passenger to shore, then without hesitation Mr. Bak grabbed a ski tube and swam back to assist the 4 other passengers pulling them safely to shore.
Sgt. Sanson reports that while the Bak’s do not consider themselves heroes of any kind that they are “Hometown Hero’s” and reports that the following conditions on Lake Conroe at the time of the event.
The water was extremely rough with heavy winds, a three (3) to four (4) foot chop, with a strong surface current that literally pushed the sinking boat a distance of over fifty (50) yards away from the original point the Bak’s first observed the boat in distress. The Bak’s risked their own safety and well being to save these people in these extremely hazardous conditions to assist the passengers.
Sgt. Sanson states that if it were not for the Bak’s assistance this could have been a real tragedy on Lake Conroe as it stands, two (2) of the passengers were transported in stable condition by the Montgomery County Hospital District Emergency Medical Service for treatment and for medical follow up as a result of the incident.
They are truly “Hometown Hero’s”