Drowning Man Rescued From Lake Tawakoni

A family stood vigil this week at the hospital over a fisherman who was saved by three passersby from drowning at Lake Tawakoni.

Jessica Hogan told The News on Monday that her father, Willie Walter Hogan Jr., was in critical but stable condition.

"He is doing better," she said but said he remained in critical but stable condition. She said in addition to problems with his lungs, his kidneys had gone into shock.

"It’s going to be a long road," Ms. Hogan said. She said he had been ventilated until Monday morning and had awakened from a coma that morning. She said he had been responsive since that time and had talked with family members.

Hogan was fishing from the causeway on FM 751 when he slipped into the water. Jessica Hogan said two men in boats, David Yarbrough and Mark Lazano, pulled her father out of the water. She said a motorist, Greg Hill, stopped and administered CPR.

"These three men will always be heroes in our lives," she said. "They repeatedly told us they aren’t heroes, but they are."

Game Warden Dale Waters credited the men’s quick action with saving Hogan’s life. "He didn’t have a pulse," Waters said when he was recovered from the lake.

Waters said the concrete causeway was slippery under water. He said several persons had drowned after falling into the water. He said most also suffered head injuries from falling into the concrete.

Hogan’s daughter said the family was from Palestine, but her father had been spending some time taking care of his elderly parents who live at Lake Tawakoni. She said he would fish as often as he would get the chance while staying at the lake.

Marine Maj. Hill who retired Aug. 1 had returned home to Brandon, Miss., by Monday. He told The News by phone, "I was in the right place at the right time."

Hill said he was driving through the area looking at property when the incident occurred since he and his wife wanted to locate either in the Lake Tawakoni or Lake Fork areas.

"We were driving past when I saw people looking frantic," Hill said.

He said he had a strong feeling that he should stop, and it would not go away. "I was feeling kinda weird about it," he said, "But I stopped."

"I was jogging down there and saw two other men pulling a man out of the water and onto the edge of a boat. They were trying to do CPR," Hill said and were doing the best they could without training.

He said he first made sure that someone called 911 and then began to do CPR. "Luckily, as a Marine, I was trained to do that."

He said he first turned Hogan on his side to empty his lungs of water and then started CPR.

"We got him breathing. I saw his heart beating. It was trying to beat as fast as it could – rapid," Hill said.

"I just talked to him and told him he was doing good. Sometimes they can hear you. Hearing is the first thing that comes back to them. He had a pulse going. I had been doing CPR for a while. I felt really good after that," Hill said and noted that Hogan had already turned blue before resuscitation had begun.

The retired major said Hogan slipped off the causeway and was beating on the top of the water and saying he could not swim.

Hill said one of the men threw a jug line trotline to him. "It got wrapped around him as he was beating on the water. He sank down in the water. The float on the jug line was not enough to hold him up. On his third dive, the other man felt the line from the jug line and followed it down and brought him up."

"It was a combination of three things," Hill said in the rescue effort. "I knew CPR. One had the jug line and the other dived down to him."

Hill said he went to Hunt Regional Medical Center of Greenville where Hogan was taken.

He was standing at the emergency room reception desk and was explaining who he was when a girl tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he had done CPR on someone. It was Jessica Hogan.

"They had just gotten there," he said of the Hogan family. "She gave me a bear hug, and I went into the emergency room with her and his wife."

Hill reflected on events of the day. "For some reason, I stopped. Something was just nagging me. My wife asked me what was I going to do. I said I didn’t know but felt like I had to stop."

He said he had to use his CPR training only once before. That was while he was serving in the Marines in about 1996-97. He said it was another situation where the person was in water. He was still breathing however.

Hill stayed informed of Hogan’s condition and talked with Jessica Hogan again on Monday.