There were two anglers fishing on the Susquehanna River when they experienced motor issues on April 13, 2023. A low-head dam capsized the boat and the men were catapulted into the water before they could get it running again. A nearby boat spotted the accident and risked their own lives to get a float and tow line to the angler and then back the boat out of troubled waters to rescue him.
Michael Brook, 64, of Waynesboro tragically lost his life in the accident; his body was discovered downstream along with other items from the boat. Although both men had donned their life jackets at the time, Brook’s was nowhere to be seen. Low-head dams are often known as drowning machines due to their peculiar currents, which revolve and do not let anything out once it has entered. Thus it becomes very hard to escape them as they continuously churn the water.
A well-loved bartender in the Waynesboro community, Brook was an avid angler and familiar with the Susquehanna River. In the words of John Allison Public House co-owner J. Morgan, “Mike loved everybody, and everyone loved him.” “Fishing was a huge passion of his.”
Sources: Wired2Fish
