After a night of drinking in downtown La Crosse Jan. 8, University of Wisconsin student Cullen Fortney, 21, fell into the Mississippi River. Fortney struggled against the current and managed to pull himself to safety.
According to a police report, Fortney said he left the downtown bars around 1:45 a.m. following a night of drinking beer and mixed drinks. He separated from friends Ryan Larson and Jay Hoffland before ending up in the river.
Fortney made his way to a local hospital early Sunday morning, where he told police he had fallen into the Mississippi River and battled to grab hold of a concrete slab, which he then used to pull himself out. He was wet, muddy and shoeless when he arrived at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital.
An investigation is under way by the La Crosse Police Department to determine the details of Sunday's events.
Police said the UW student sustained no serious injuries but was scratched from the encounter and reported having lost his hat, jacket, shoes, cell phone and $20 in cash.
Little is known about what happened between Fortney's departure from the bar and his arrival at the hospital. La Crosse police estimate Fortney's blood-alcohol level to have been 0.16 at the time he left the bar.
Fortney's mother did not wish to comment, and Fortney was unavailable for comment as of press time.
The probable area where Fortney fell into the river has been particularly dangerous in recent years, as it has been the site of seven drownings since 1997. All incidents have since been tied to alcohol.
These and other safety concerns related to drug and alcohol abuse have come under close scrutiny by the Alcohol Task Force, a UW-La Crosse organization designed to promote awareness and education regarding the negative consequences of alcohol abuse.
While similar cases of student deaths by drowning have been reported in Madison, Public Informations Officer Mike Hanson of the Madison Police Department said the lakes here have been significantly less lethal than the Mississippi River.
Still, Hanson said the danger of students drowning while intoxicated is an alarming concern.
"The concern for us is that the lakes touch the downtown areas, where there is a lot of alcohol consumption," he said. "That can be very dangerous."
