Man fishing with family in Hopkinton lake falls out of boat, dies

HOPKINTON - A man went on a boat ride with his family in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, but he fell into the water and didn't survive.

It happened Thursday afternoon at the Whitehall Reservoir on Route 135. Police said the man had been fishing with his family, including young kids and woman, when he apparently had a medical emergency.

Good Samaritans pull man onto island

A boater first noticed the man in distress and called 911. Good Samaritans in other boats helped drag him onto an island and "provided critical care" until rescuers arrived.

Firefighters from Hopkinton and Westboro put boats in the water, went out to the island and brought the man and his family back to shore. The man, who has not been identified, was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester where he died.

"I've never seen any accidents on this lake ever before," said Gilles Fillion. "I've been fishing here going on 10 years."

Firefighters said it took them a while to find the victim because it's a big lake with a lot of islands.

"Water accidents happen all the time. So it's not terribly surprising. People are unprepared or perhaps have a medical emergency you know, these things can happen," kayaker Eileen Nikopoulos told WBZ-TV.

"I always wear a life jacket because you just never know what's going to happen. I wear this whistle so that if you're in trouble you can blow your whistle and attract people's attention."

The death remains under investigation by the Hopkinton Police Department and the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.