EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
A correction to a story we brought you earlier on 14 News.
Friday morning, Evansville police reported a man pulled from the Ohio River Thursday had died.
But in fact, we're told he is alive at Deaconess Hospital.
Police say the officer filed a preliminary report with information he was given at the scene, that the victim was dead...
But Friday, we now know that information was wrong and the department is making an apology.
"We're humans. We're doing things, you know, as best we can."
Evansville Police Sergeant Jason Cullum says a chaotic scene and false information lead an officer to file a report listing the victim, 50-year-old Charles Rayborn, as dead, writing "victim died while swimming in the Ohio River."
"His version of it was that there were a lot of people down there. Heard it from one of the emergency service providers, not sure which one, that the person was dead," Cullum said.
After news outlets began airing news of Rayborn's death, 14 News received e-mails and phone calls from the victim's family and friends that Rayborn is in fact, not dead, but alive at Deaconess Hospital.
"We're not going to take the position that, well, we were wrong but at least he's still alive so no harm, no foul. We're not going to take that position because we know regardless of his medical condition right now or what the future holds for him, we caused some emotional distress for some family and some loved ones and we do apologize again for that," Cullum told 14 News.
Cullum says the department is taking the mistake seriously and is taking steps to keep future mistakes from happening.
Especially, when it comes to matters of life and death.
"It is very unfortunate that this happened. We do apologize to this man's family," noted Cullum.
No word tonight on the victim's condition. His family has asked that it not be released.
Copyright 2012 WFIE. All rights reserved.
You can see the boat off in the distance, headed for shore with the man
The man was given CPR, and then loaded into an ambulance to be rushed to the hospital
