10-28-12 MAGNOLIA, AR Man found dead in Lake Columbia after boat sinks katv.com (10-29-12) Divers have recovered the body of a Magnolia man who disappeared on Lake Columbia after his boat took on water and sank. Columbia Co. Sheriff Mike Loe says 27-y/o Aymen Salameh went missing Sun. night (10-28-12) on Lake Columbia. Loe says 2 people were in the boat near Lake Columbia's spillway and dam when the vessel began to take on water. The sheriff says the 2nd person was able to make it to shore and call for help. The divers found Salameh's body at about 4:15 p.m. Mon. (10-29).
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11-01-12 BILOXI, MS Boat catches fire behind Biloxi Boardwalk Marina wlox.com (11-01-12) A boat was completely destroyed after catching fire around 2:40 p.m. Thursday at the Biloxi Boardwalk Marina, according to City of Biloxi spokesperson Vincent Creel. Eyewitnesses said their was an explosion when the boat caught fire. Creel said the 20 ft. boat belongs to the marina. Firefighters had to use a foam fire retardant to put the fire out. They also had to untie the boat from the pier to move it from other boats. scene. The boat had already started sinking and is a total loss.
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11-01-12 CHICAGO, IL Woman falls from boat near Navy Pier chicagotribune.com (11-01-12) A woman in her 20s fell off a boat and was rescued from Lake Michigan near Navy Pier about 8:40 p.m. Thur. (11-01). The Chicago FD responded to the area, spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim said. The woman was already out of the water, Chicago PD News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said. She was rescued by the crew of the boat she fell from and out of the water when emergency crews arrived. The woman was taken in fair-to-serious condition to Northwestern Mem. Hosp.
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10-26-12 PORT O’CONNOR, TX Coast Guard rescues regatta crew galvestondailynews.com (10-28-12) A 5-man crew competing in the Harvest Moon Regatta was rescued by the USCG on Fri. (10-26).
At 7:11 a.m., the CG received word the sailboat Petite Louis III was disabled and adrift near Port O’Connor, 11 mi. SE of the Matagorda jetties, said Lt. Cmdr. Brendan Evans. “There were 6-ft. seas and 15-kt. winds,” he said. The sailboat and its crew was located at 8:44 a.m. and towed to Port O’Connor.
The Petite Louis III is a 39-footer and is registered in Houston. The Harvest Moon Regatta is an annual race that travels a course from Galveston to Port Aransas.
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10-29-12 OROVILLE, CA Kayaker's death in Feather River still a mystery chicoer.com (10-31-12) The Butte Co. Coroner's Office is trying to determine the cause of death for a man who collapsed while on a kayak trip on the Feather River late Mon. afternoon (10-29). Chief Deputy Coroner Lt. Al Smith said Glenn Collins, 65, of Magalia was kayaking with friends near the boat launch off Larkin Road.
Around 3 p.m., the kayakers paddled to shore, and Collins fell into the water when trying to climb out of his kayak. Witnesses said he flailed around for a while before they pulled him to shore in the Oroville Wildlife Area. Witnesses said Collins seemed to be fine but said he thought he had swallowed some water and needed to rest. However, after sitting for 5-10 min., he collapsed, and someone called 911.
Emergency crews responded. When they arrived around 3:30 p.m., paramedics reported the man was dead. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_21894133/kayakers-death-feather-river-still-mystery
"We're not sure what caused him to fall into the water," Smith said. "We will find out with the autopsy."
A swift-water rescue crew out of Gridley and a medical helicopter responded to the initial report, said Cal Fire-Butte County Capt. Scott McLean. The autopsy results will take about two weeks.
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11-01-12 GULFPORT, MS Body found in Mississippi Sound identified as missing Georgia man Samuel Begner gulflive.com (11-01-12) Harrison Co. Coroner Gary Hargrove says the body of man found floating in the Mississippi Sound has been identified as 36-y/o Samuel Begner of Atlanta. Hargrove says an autopsy shows Begner drowned. Begner had been reported missing and authorities say his vehicle was found abandoned at U.S. Highway 90 in Gulfport. His body was discovered floating in water near the Small Craft Harbor Wed. (10-31) by a man checking on crab pots. Hargrove says Begner brought a 2-man, inflatable kayak with him but it has not been found.
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10-29-12 BAL HARBOUR, FL Boat catches fire off harbour wsvn.com (10-30-12) Police said no one was injured after a boat caught fire on Mon. (10-29). The fire broke out at Bal Bay Drive and Harbour Way at about 8:15 p.m. A witness submitted video of the 50-ft. boat engulfed in flames. It took Miami-Dade Fire Rescue 10 min. to extinguish the blaze.
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10-30-12 ORANGE COUNTY, FL Boat dealer sentenced to prison for boating crash that killed woman six years ago orlandosentinel.com (10-31-12) An Orlando boat dealer accused of piloting a boat while he was drunk and crashing, killing a 20-y/o and injuring several others, was sentenced to 6 years in prison Tue. (10-30). Mark David Watts, owner of Liquid Sports Marine, was charged with killing Shelby Harper, a former Amateur Athletic Union basketball star, during the accident on Lake Irma in E. Orange Co. in July 2006.
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10-28-12 STATE OF OREGON Number of boating deaths in Oregon in 2012 may be highest in 15 years statesmanjournal.com (10-28-12) Even though the weather has turned cold and many Oregonians have tucked away their boats for the season, state officials are still worried about river and lake safety. So far this year 17 people have died in recreational boating accidents, a number that experts say is on track to be the highest in 15 yrs. “What we fear is that the year isn’t over yet,” said Ashley Massey, spokeswoman for the Oregon State Marine Board. “With the way weather and water is behaving, it looks like we could get into 20 (fatalities).” Boating fatalities have reached 20 twice in the past 15 yrs. — in 1998 and 2006. Although the marine board is required to track only those water deaths that involve a motor boat, they also track the deaths that involve rafts, sailboats, inner tubes and paddleboards. The data so far for 2012, says that the cause of the accidents are “all over the board.” “What led the accident or the incident itself can’t be nailed down to one thing,” Massey said. Historically, however, the single largest common factor among these deaths is that the victim was not wearing a lifejacket, Massey said. Data from the past 15 yrs. clearly show that a majority of fatalities involve a person who was not wearing a PFD. Of the 201 boating accident deaths during that time, 45 victims were wearing lifejackets. The other 156 — or 77% of the total — were not. “Folks are going out there not prepared, not knowing waterways, not planning ahead and not knowing the risks involved,” Massey said. “We don’t want to see any more tragedies – so many of these really are preventable.” Even in the summer months water temperatures hover around 65 degrees, which can cause hypothermia after 30 min. But hypothermia, she said, isn’t what kills people. “It’s the initial cold water shock,” she said. “If you’re not wearing lifejacket and you wind up in water, you experience involuntary shock, gasp as a reflex and breathe in water.” Although most fatalities occur during spring and summer, boating deaths in the winter months are not unheard of. What’s dangerous about winter, Massey said, is that “water levels are going to change daily.” Another common component to boating deaths is alcohol consumption, involved in 16% of fatalities. The key to preventing these deaths, Massey said, is education. But within the past few years, more people have taken to rivers, lakes and the sea in a paddle-craft such as a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard. Because these craft are not motorized, owners do not have to register them with the state marine board and take a required education class. Massey said it is hard to reach out to these recreational boaters. “You can go to Walmart or Costco, buy a paddleboard and the water’s in your back yard so you can just hop in,” she said. But even though over the years boating accidents have decreased, fatalities continue to fluctuate. “Fatalities jump all over the board,” Massey said, and she can’t explain why. Any year that has more than 14 deaths, which is Oregon’s average, makes the agency pay close attention to its outreach effort. They try to educate recreational boaters by working with law enforcement, retailers, manufacturers and paddle clubs. Though any at all, she says, is way too high. Her solution, she said, is more education. “When you don’t have a baseline knowledge or baseline skill set, the risks go up,” she said. “The more you know of the risks involved and better understand how to interact with other watercraft, the safer you are.”
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