"I have permission to share this with you people here from Les, the author.
The message is loud and clear. The tragedy says it all and needs no further words.
This is the words of Les Culp Jr, one of the gentlemen in the boat and good friend of the deceased Mike Sebrun.
-------How it all went down---------
I'm sure alot of you are wondering what actually went down in last weeks accident. I'll try to be as thorough as possible.
Mike and I went down to Huntsville last week for two things.
One, for me to buy a deer licence and two, to check out a friends boat that Mike was interested in buying. Later on that day we had planned on going to put a beating on some smallmouth up by Mike's house so I met Mike in Emsdale where I left my truck and boat at his sister's and took his to town.
The boat we looked at was in exellent shape and Mike was pleased with it but he wanted to take it for a test run to see how it handled.
We agreed to meet our friend at the local boat ramp to take it for a spin.
At the ramp we put the boat in the water and I almost stayed on shore because they were only going up the lake and back, but I figured what the hell, I'll go for a ride.
All safety equipment was still in the boat. Our friend doned his floater suit and offered us a life jacket. Mike replied no and I thought about it but didn't figure that there would be one in the compartment that would fit me anyways , after all we were going to be back in five minutes.
We ran down the lake part ways and Mike trimmed the motor down and started taking some turns with it. we weren't going real fast but fast enough you could really feel the g's pulling at you and before completing the turn Mike would carve the boat in a different direction.
We did a couple of these and slowed down a bit. I turned to Mike and told him that if he got me wet I was going to send him swimming.
We chuckled abit and Mike sped up alittle and entered another turn.
Once again part way through the turn Mike switched directions.
Upon doing this the boat pitched throwing all three of us into the water.
When I finally made it back to the surface I found Mike and our friend screaming for help. We were all spread out from one another quite aways. Our friend was swimming toward his boat in an effort to catch it, but it was still in gear and idling away from us. I was the furthest out in the lake with Mike in between us.
Mike turned to me and said that he didn't think he was going to make it.Still trying to control my breathing I swam up to him and tried to coach him into breathing properly. This was the hardest thing to do being in the cold water. Next I tried to get him to relax while I pulled him along with me and to help me swim with him by kicking his feet.
Mike fought with me a couple of times trying to climb up the side of me.
I told him I was going to have to leave him there if he kept doing it.
He finally stopped and let me help him but he was growing slow and quiet. He said to me not to let him go and fell unconsious.
By this time a man had come out of his house and was standing on his dock where the boat had run ashore. Our friend and myself were both yelling to him to get the boat and come and get us.
Apparently he had tried but in getting into the boat had unknowingly hit the kill switch cord with his foot and the engine died on him.
Back in the water at this time I was struggling to keep mike's face out of the water and he kept slipping under on me at times.
It eventually got to the point where I had to let mike slip under the water and tread water with him there hoping for a rescue.
I believe I could hear the sirens of the EMS trucks coming at that time.
I tread water there with Mike until I too started slipping under the water. The decision was automatic, I had to let him go.
I watched my friend sink o
