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Father: Utah girls swam for hours after deadly boat accident

Published  June 3, 2015 4:21pm PDT
Associated Press



SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah father says his teenage daughter and her friend survived a deadly boating accident after they swam for hours, singing songs and shouting prayers as they fought exhaustion.

Jeff Stoker said Wednesday that his 13-year-old daughter, Tiffany, tried to swim for shore with her friend Tylinn Tilley after a violent windstorm capsized their boat, throwing seven people aboard into the cold water.

They were about to give up when they heard a rescue boat and started yelling.

The movement likely staved off the hypothermia that authorities say contributed to the deaths of four people: 46-year-old Utah physician Lance Capener; his daughters, 13-year-old Kelsey Capener and 7-year-old Kilee Capener; and their friend, 13-year-old Siera Hadley.

Lance Capener's wife, Kathy Capener, 42, also survived.