This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A woman had symptoms of hypothermia after wandering around the shallows of Utah Lake for more than eight hours before a search party found her Tuesday, police say.
The 29-year-old Lehi woman was boating with friends Monday evening on the east side of the lake, near Provo Bay, according to a news release from the Utah County Sheriff's Office. The boat got stuck in a shallow area about 7 p.m., so the woman decided to wade through the water in an attempt to reach the shore, the release states.
After she left, her friends maneuvered the boat to the harbor but could not find the woman, according to the release.
Volunteers from several agencies, including the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Provo Police Department, searched the area until they heard the woman yelling for help at about 2:20 a.m. They found the woman, wearing only a bikini when the air temperature was 40 degrees, about 3 a.m., the release said. The water temperature was about 60 degrees at the time.
She had lost her way in the thick reeds growing in the area, suffering minor cuts and scrapes, according to the news release. The woman was transported to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo and is expected to recover.
Police say the incident could have had a "much more serious outcome."
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