The cold temperatures could have also played a major role in the death of a man who drowned after falling out of his boat Monday night.
It's a very eerie story that has a 55 year old Amelia man's own boat contributing to his death.
Authorities say the man and his family were on a camping and fishing trip just east of Stephensville, as they frequently do.
Apparently while the victim was running fishing line something went wrong, he fell overboard, and drowned.
Investigators are looking at a few contributors of this death; The weight of his boots kept him from staying afloat, the freezing temperatures of the water, and even his own boat continuing to circle around him blocking anyone from helping.
"Our office responded and when they arrived they learned that a family member actually tried to jump in the water and also assist the gentleman who drowned unfortunately we were unable to locate him and two hours later at 11:15 we located the body" says Ginny Higgins with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office.
Wildlife and fisheries have taken over the investigation.
Robert Burns
(St. Martinville, La.)-On December 28, 2009 at 9:22 p.m., the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office received a 911 call in reference to a fisherman who had fallen out of his boat and was unable to be located by family members. Philip Autin, 55, Amelia, was on his way to run fish lines near his camp when he apparently fell out of his boat. Hearing someone shouting, a family member who was camping nearby, jumped in the water and attempted to assist him but was unable to do so due to the fact that the boat was circling and hampering his efforts to reach Mr. Autin. St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Deputies arrived on scene and attempted to search for the missing man. Deputies located the body of Mr. Autin at approximately 11:18 p.m. Assumption Parish Sheriff's Deputies arrived on scene and assisted the St. Martin Parish Deputies. Wildlife and Fisheries will be doing a follow-up investigation regarding the cause of the accident. No further information is available at this time.
