BUTTE LA ROSE, La. (AP) — The body of an 80-year-old man has been found in a Louisiana river, where he was thrown when two boats collided late last month.
The body of Robert Schoeffler of Lafayette was found Saturday in the Little Atchafalaya River near Butte La Rose, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.
He and his passenger were thrown from a 16-foot boat in a collision about 2 pm. April 29 with another boat about two miles (3.2 kilometers) south of the Butte La Rose Welcome Center Boat Launch, according to a news release.
Cause of the collision is still being investigated, department spokesman Robert “Trey” Iles said Monday.
The passenger was able to swim to shore. A good Samaritan rescued the other boat’s driver, who was knocked unconscious in the accident, from his sinking boat, the department said Saturday. That man was still hospitalized Saturday in critical condition, it said.
Schoeffler was a retired architect. Schoeffler's brothers include Harold Schoeffler, whose 1987 lawsuit put the Louisiana black bear on the threatened list until 2016.
