THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 TAG: 9503290428
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
A civilian welder was missing Tuesday after falling into the James River near Fort Eustis, prompting a 5 1/2-hour search by the Coast Guard and Army.
The worker, identified by the Coast Guard as Jerry Cochran, was welding on a vessel in the Inactive Reserve Fleet shortly before 7:30 a.m. when he slipped overboard.
A Coast Guard spokesman said co-workers tried to catch Cochran with a boat hook and then threw a life ring to him, all to no avail.
``They saw him go under,'' the spokesman said. ``No one's seen him since.''
A 22-foot rescue boat from the Coast Guard station in Portsmouth and a rescue helicopter from Cape May, N.J., joined the search. Also involved were three Army tugboats, a Virginia Marine Resources Commission boat and underwater recovery teams from Newport News and Fort Eustis. The search was suspended at 1 p.m. Tuesday, pending further developments.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT GENERAL MISSING PERSONS by CNB