U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany swam to safety in a central Wisconsin lake Saturday night after his plane made an emergency landing after losing power. He issued a press release from the hospital with his wife at his side and said, “God was watching over us tonight.”
Tiffany revealed the dramatic scene in a press release on September 13 which indicated that he and everyone else on the plane made it to safety.
Tiffany said the plane was carrying him home from Saturday night’s La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when it “made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.”
“While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport,” he said. “The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.”
“After landing, we called 911. As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat,” Tiffany said.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly. They got us safely off the water and transported us to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where we received excellent care. Thankfully, both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries.
“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side. An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
The plane Tom Tiffany was traveling in was a four-seat Bonanza.
