LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — Two boaters pulled a father and his daughter from Geneva Lake after a sudden storm sent waves crashing over their vessel and left multiple people stranded in the water.
Dan Hodgman said he had grown up near Geneva Lake and seen storms before, but this one was different.
"No expectation that we'd see winds and treacherous weather like that," Hodgman said.
Hodgman said he did his best to navigate the big waves and strong winds as they battered his boat.
"We had waves crashing into the windshield and coming over the top of the windshield, and it's not a small boat by any means," Hodgman said.
It was his brother Patrick who first spotted two people in the water — a father and his daughter — who needed help fast. Hodgman said the moment was more emotional than the storm itself.
Watch: Boaters rescue father and daughter from Geneva Lake during violent storm
"100%. I mean, the emotions were way higher then, I would say, than when the storm hit. That was pretty, pretty emotional. So grateful we were able to just be there, and, you know, timing's everything," Hodgman said.
Two other people were also in the water nearby, and another boat was able to rescue them, making it a team effort on the lake.
Adam Teitelbaum was also on the lake Friday when the storm hit, out with friends on a separate boat. They made their way to shore, putting on life jackets and holding on.
Teitelbaum said the situation felt life-threatening.
"100%. Our captain told us, you need to grab life vests, you need to prepare for if we were to, you know, capsize, and you need to be aware of your surroundings," Teitelbaum said.
Hodgman said he was grateful to have helped one family but was saddened by another family's loss.
"First and foremost, the heart goes out to the community and those that perished during that because that was just — it was just terrible," Hodgman said.
The same storm that caused problems for boaters also caused damage across Walworth County.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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