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Well-known member
This is a family that we barrel race with.
Instead of planning a family Christmas, Chuck and Debbie Bergfeld must make arrangements to bury their 23-year-old son, whose body was pulled from the frigid waters of Richland Chambers Lake near Corsicana Thursday afternoon.
The discovery of Charles Andrew “Chase” Bergfeld concluded a rough six-day search, as inclement weather, including cold temperatures, strong winds, sleet and rain hampered recovery efforts.
Bergfeld, a 2004 Conroe High School graduate and all-district linebacker on the Tigers’ football team, went missing early Saturday morning after a boating accident late Friday night. The Texas A&M student was operating a boat with nine other college students aboard. They were heading from a restaurant to a private lake residence when the boat hit a submerged object near a bridge and capsized, ejecting all 10 people aboard, according to reports from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which headed up search efforts.
“Everyone’s OK,” Bill Bergfeld, Chase’s uncle, said about Chase’s family, who assisted in the search. “They expected this announcement to come. They just didn’t know when.
“It’s better to know than for Chase to be missing forever.”
Bergfeld’s body was located by game wardens and volunteer searchers Dennis and Tammy Watters using side-scan sonar, a type of 3-D imager, according to a TPWD press release issued Thursday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Navarro County justice of the peace.
“Our hearts go out to everyone touched by this tragedy,” said Game Warden Capt. Gary Dugan, who has been leading the search effort for the past six days. “We’re going to investigate this accident fully to see what we can learn and, perhaps, help prevent future tragedies of this nature.”
As of Nov. 30, there were 253 boating accidents in Texas this year, resulting in 52 deaths and 158 injuries, according to TPWD records.
Bergfeld was studying building science at Texas A&M. His parents reside in Conroe.
The search for Bergfeld recently included help from Texas EquuSearch and the U.S. Homeland Emergency Response Organization, an all-volunteer emergency services organization headquartered in Austin, according to ushero.org.
TPWD game wardens were joined early in the search by members of the Corsicana Volunteer Fire Department, the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Dive Team and the Lewisville Fire Department Dive Team, according to a TPWD press release issued Monday.
The Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Dive Team assisted in the search with its side-scan sonar but returned home Wednesday, Lt. Bryan DuBose said.
Dogs trained to detect human remains were used in the search, according to a TPWD press release issued Thursday morning.
“We have two boats with sonar going all the time, and at least two additional boats to carry the dogs and volunteers,” Dugan stated in Thursday morning’s press release.
However, wind, rain, sleet and cold temperatures slowed recovery efforts.
“It’s a very large area they were searching, and the weather certainly slowed things down,” TPWD spokesman Aaron Reed said. “It’s a painstaking square-foot-by-square-foot search.”
Weather in Corsicana has been windy and foggy since the accident, with lows dipping into the mid-20s, according to www.weather.com.
Cold lake waters slow decomposition, which can slow the process of a body reaching the surface. Water in the search area averaged 25 feet deep, according to Thursday morning’s press release.
“They need to continue to support Chuck and Debbie, because it’s these next few days that will be really tough,” Bill Bergfeld said about the community.
A family friend has set up a bank account to assist the Bergfelds with funeral costs. Donations can be made to the Chase Bergfeld Memorial Fund at any Bank of America location. Donations also can be mailed to Bank of America, 2900 W. Davis St., Conroe, TX 77304.
Instead of planning a family Christmas, Chuck and Debbie Bergfeld must make arrangements to bury their 23-year-old son, whose body was pulled from the frigid waters of Richland Chambers Lake near Corsicana Thursday afternoon.
The discovery of Charles Andrew “Chase” Bergfeld concluded a rough six-day search, as inclement weather, including cold temperatures, strong winds, sleet and rain hampered recovery efforts.
Bergfeld, a 2004 Conroe High School graduate and all-district linebacker on the Tigers’ football team, went missing early Saturday morning after a boating accident late Friday night. The Texas A&M student was operating a boat with nine other college students aboard. They were heading from a restaurant to a private lake residence when the boat hit a submerged object near a bridge and capsized, ejecting all 10 people aboard, according to reports from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which headed up search efforts.
“Everyone’s OK,” Bill Bergfeld, Chase’s uncle, said about Chase’s family, who assisted in the search. “They expected this announcement to come. They just didn’t know when.
“It’s better to know than for Chase to be missing forever.”
Bergfeld’s body was located by game wardens and volunteer searchers Dennis and Tammy Watters using side-scan sonar, a type of 3-D imager, according to a TPWD press release issued Thursday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Navarro County justice of the peace.
“Our hearts go out to everyone touched by this tragedy,” said Game Warden Capt. Gary Dugan, who has been leading the search effort for the past six days. “We’re going to investigate this accident fully to see what we can learn and, perhaps, help prevent future tragedies of this nature.”
As of Nov. 30, there were 253 boating accidents in Texas this year, resulting in 52 deaths and 158 injuries, according to TPWD records.
Bergfeld was studying building science at Texas A&M. His parents reside in Conroe.
The search for Bergfeld recently included help from Texas EquuSearch and the U.S. Homeland Emergency Response Organization, an all-volunteer emergency services organization headquartered in Austin, according to ushero.org.
TPWD game wardens were joined early in the search by members of the Corsicana Volunteer Fire Department, the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Dive Team and the Lewisville Fire Department Dive Team, according to a TPWD press release issued Monday.
The Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Dive Team assisted in the search with its side-scan sonar but returned home Wednesday, Lt. Bryan DuBose said.
Dogs trained to detect human remains were used in the search, according to a TPWD press release issued Thursday morning.
“We have two boats with sonar going all the time, and at least two additional boats to carry the dogs and volunteers,” Dugan stated in Thursday morning’s press release.
However, wind, rain, sleet and cold temperatures slowed recovery efforts.
“It’s a very large area they were searching, and the weather certainly slowed things down,” TPWD spokesman Aaron Reed said. “It’s a painstaking square-foot-by-square-foot search.”
Weather in Corsicana has been windy and foggy since the accident, with lows dipping into the mid-20s, according to www.weather.com.
Cold lake waters slow decomposition, which can slow the process of a body reaching the surface. Water in the search area averaged 25 feet deep, according to Thursday morning’s press release.
“They need to continue to support Chuck and Debbie, because it’s these next few days that will be really tough,” Bill Bergfeld said about the community.
A family friend has set up a bank account to assist the Bergfelds with funeral costs. Donations can be made to the Chase Bergfeld Memorial Fund at any Bank of America location. Donations also can be mailed to Bank of America, 2900 W. Davis St., Conroe, TX 77304.