Man dies at Laurel Lake spillway

May 08, 2008 11:24 am

— By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor
Herman Feltner, Sr., 70, of Hazard, died while fishing at the Laurel Lake spillway Wednesday afternoon.
Feltner was with his wife when he apparently fell into the water.
Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Reeves was the first officer on the scene because the initial call stated the accident happened on the Whitley County side of the lake.
“We had a report of it being on the beach, so that’s where I was,” Reeves said. “Then I saw that fellow flagging us down."
That “fellow” was Gregory Brown of Corbin, who said he was out for a joyride that sunny afternoon when he was flagged down at the scene.
“He was still half in the water,” Brown said of the man. “His wife had his head and shoulders up in her lap... She was torn up bad.”
Brown said he, an employee of the US Corps of Engineers and a sheriff’s deputy helped pull the man to shore.
Reeves performed CPR until Whitley County Ambulance Service arrived.
“He was in the water and I jumped in the water, and me and the guys pulled him onto the bank,” Reeves said.