Walter Dale credits others who helped in his rescue

Williamsburg resident Walter Dale, who was rescued after spending two nights near Cumberland Falls in the freezing cold last month, said that he is now doing alright now thanks to those, who helped rescue him on Jan. 16, and he said that multiple people deserve credit for his rescue.

Walter Dale said that he is currently staying with his uncle, Matt, and Matt’s friend, who are taking good care of him.

Walter Dale, who nearly everyone in Williamsburg has seen walking around at some point or another and who is known by his full name, explained how he got to the point of needing rescue during a recent telephone interview.

Walter Dale said that he was going to see his uncle in McCreary County on Jan. 14 when the incident occurred. He normally takes KY92W going past Walmart, but on that day decided to walk towards Cumberland Falls.

Walter Dale said after he crossed the overland bridge, some guy told him to walk towards Eagle Falls to get where he needed to go, which he started doing. However, he said that he soon fell straight down.

Walter Dale said that he couldn’t make an SOS call because his backpack, which had his phone in it, went into the river when he fell.

He said that he would see people every day on the river and hollered at them to get help, but they would laugh at him.

Jason Ryan Beavers was recently honored for finding Walter Dale on Jan. 16, but Walter Dale said that three other people also deserve recognition for helping rescue him.

He said that Randall Brummett, Rusty Brummett and Travis White were about one minute behind Beavers on the day he got found.

“They were right behind the Beavers’ boy,” Walter Dale said.

Walter Dale said that the three men helped get him unstuck from the ground, started a fire to keep him warm, had a survival blanket for him and one of them caught the rope from rescuers in a boat, who came across the river from the Whitley County side to get him.

Walter Dale had to be removed by boat due to a log jam on the McCreary County side of the river.