Lake storm claims life of fisherman

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004 | 10:56 a.m.

A sunset fishing trip turned deadly for one Las Vegas man Monday night and left a second man stranded on a small island overnight after an unexpected thunderstorm raked Lake Mead with gusty winds.

Darnell Horn, 50, pastor of New Revelation Baptist Church, and associate minister Garland Washington, 58, were catching catfish and striped bass near Echo Bay in Lake Mead when a fierce storm unleashed gusty winds, thunder and lightning.

The radio on the boat predicted winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour and gave no hint of a storm.

"I said, 'Oh, boy, look at all the lightning,' " Washington said Tuesday night, recounting how he felt the boat begin to rock and move away from its moorings.

About 8:30 p.m., a gust of wind whipped the 23-foot Sea-Ray like a toy and slammed it against jagged rocks protruding from the shoreline, Washington said.

Then all the lights went out. Washington grabbed a rope and a flashlight.

With water pouring over the sides, Washington jumped through the wind-whipped waves onto land, then threw the rope to Horn. Both men were wearing new life jackets, he said.

But Horn "was having problems," Washington said. "The waves knocked him down and I went and got him again and the waves slammed him against the rocks."

Washington tried to rescue Horn three times.

"He just got tired. He was being slapped on those sharp, jagged rocks."

The boat had torn loose and was tangled in a buoy as waves towering five to six feet swamped it, he said.

"I saw him and the boat go down and the radio was still saying 10 to 15 mph winds."

Two other fishermen on a boat in Lake Mead found what appeared to be a capsized boat near Echo Bay at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said.

"They called out to see if any survivors were in the area," Dey said.

The boaters discovered Washington on a nearby island.

"They offered to take him back to shore, but he refused," Dey said. Washington asked the boaters to call the park service for help because he believed his friend was dead.

Echo Bay Resort employees and park service rangers located the victim and recovered his body at 8:45 a.m.

Washington said he injured his back and his shoulders trying to pull Horn onto land.

He was airlifted to Valley Hospital where he was treated and released for exposure, Dey said.

Dey said it was easy to understand how the men were caught off guard because "the wind came out of nowhere."

Rangers working on the lake at the time of the storm estimated gusts stronger than 50 miles per hour, and waves at Echo Bay crested up to six feet high, Dey said.

"There were several 911 calls from houseboats, but they called back after the storm died and said they were alright," Dey said.

The storm stopped suddenly, surface water smooth again.

"After he (Horn) went down it settled," Washington said. "The moon came out and the stars, too."

Washington said he and Horn often went fishing at Echo Bay. But now, "my fishing days are over," Washington said.

Horn's death was the 10th drowning at Lake Mead this year.