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Boating Accident News 3/22/2013

By Kristy Moore posted 03-22-2013 02:20 PM

  
03-17-13 WADMALAW ISLAND, SC Rescue mat used to free stranded jet skier off Wadmalaw Rescue teams say they had to use a rescue mat to reach a jet skier stranded in mud in the Wadmalaw Sound on Sun. (03-17). According to St. Johns Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief James T. Ghi, their crews and the Charleston Co. Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to the call around 5 p.m. When they arrived to where the jet skier was stuck, they realized he could not be reached by boat.
Charleston Co. crews were able to provide a rescue mat, a unique, waterproof device used for various types of rescue situations such as on water, ice, and over soft mud. Crews used the mat to rescue the jet skier, who was not injured. The jet ski was left at the location for retrieval at high tide. Read full story here.
 
03-18-13 PUGET SOUND, WA Kayaker whose boat flipped near Key Peninsula dies in hospital A kayaker whose boat overturned between the Key Peninsula and McNeil Island Mon. night (03-18) died early Tue. morning (03-19), Pierce Co. sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said. The Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man as 29-y/o Matthew Grobins from Lakebay. He was listed in grave condition after being taken to St. Anthony Hosp. in Gig Harbor after the boat capsized in the Pitt Passage about 7:30 p.m. Mon. Another man in the kayak was able to make it to shore and call 911 after borrowing a telephone at a home. The kayak flipped when one of the men reached for something. They were unable to right the boat after multiple tries so the friend told Grobins they needed to swim to shore. Grobins refused to leave his kayak. Searchers found the missing kayaker after about an hour and pulled him from the water. Both men were wearing life vests. An investigation is ongoing into what caused the boat to turn over. Read full story here.
 
03-20-13 PORT MAYACA, FL Deputies rescue father, son from sinking boat Two Martin Co. Sheriff's deputies jumped into the rough waters of Lake Okeechobee on Wed. night (03-20) to rescue 2 fishermen as their boat began to sink. The father and son fishermen called for help about 7 p.m. after their boat ran out of gas and began quickly taking on water amid windy weather at Port Mayaca.
Deputies said they saw the 16-ft. boat begin breaking apart after it crashed against some rocks, so they decided to jump into the water and help before it was too late. The deputies were able to pull the boaters out of the rough water about 9:30 p.m. Wed. One of the fishermen is 84 y/o and suffered broken ribs.
Both father and son were taken to St. Mary's Med. Center for treatment.
The incident was the 2nd water rescue Wed. on Lake Okeechobee. Earlier in the day, Palm Beach Co. Fire Rescue workers used a helicopter and air boats to find 2 men who became lost and stranded about 2 mi. S. of Port Mayaca. Read full story here.
 
03-20-13 WASHINGTON, DC D.C. Fire Battles Blaze on Boat Docked at Waterfront D.C. Fire and EMS battled a fire on a boat on the Washington Channel Wed. (03-20). Firefighters aboard a fireboat spotted the fire on a boat docked in the 900 block of Water Street SW after 11:30 a.m. D.C. Fire cut the ropes off the boat, and it floated down the Washington Channel. The fireboat crew helped secure the burning boat and knock down the fire. The fire apparently started inside the boat and spread throughout. There are reports of an injured person. Read full story here.
 
03-19-13 ST. PETERSBURG, FL Boat hits channel marker near Sunshine Skyway, 2 injured Two were treated for injuries they sustained after their boat hit a channel marker about two miles from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Tuesday morning. St. Pete Fire Rescue, the USCG and Florida FWC responded to the scene around mile marker 17 to treat the boaters and tow in the boat. The extent of their injuries or the circumstances surrounding the crash are not known at this time.Read full story here.
 
03-17-13 MARINELAND, FL Five Missing Aboard Drift ing Boat Are Rescued After 1 a.m. on Intracoastal Near Marineland Marineland residents heard the hum of a helicopter overhead early Sun. morning (03-17) as personnel from several agencies searched for overdue boaters who were found on their disabled vessel around 1:15 a.m. The Flagler Co. Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the father of a teenager who had gone boating with friends around noon on Sat. (03-16). When she failed to return by 9 p.m. and the father was unable to contact her, he called the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies located the vehicle and empty boat trailer at Bings Landing on N. Oceanshore Drive. After searching the area, deputies called in the Volusia Co. Sheriff’s Office’s Air One helicopter as well as the Florida FWC, the USCG and the FCSO Marine Patrol Unit.  The drifting boat and passengers were located by Air One on the ICW near the Whitney Lab in Marineland around 1:15 a.m. The Palm Coast boat owner, Danilo Gomez, 43, explained that he, 3 family members and the teenager were heading home from St. Augustine when they experienced engine problems. He said the cell phone they had did not work and he was unable to call for assistance. Gomez had just bought the boat 3 days earlier, used. Deputies removed the passengers and the boat was being moored in Marineland until the owner could make arrangements to move it.  Read full story here.
 
03-21-13 HOUSTON, TX Coast Guard members rescue two sail boaters south of Sabine Pass  Two boaters were rescued by USCG members after their sailboat was caught in rough weather S. of Sabine Pass on Thur. (03-21). The boaters activated their EPIRB at 10:52 a.m., to notify watch-standers at CG Sector Houston-Galveston that their sailboat had suffered extensive damage due to a sudden storm, 16 mi. S. of Sabine Pass. CG rescue crews were launched aboard a Station Sabine Pass 45-ft. response boat and an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter at 10:59 a.m. The rescue crews arrived on scene at 11:57 a.m., and transferred both boaters to the response boat. They were taken to Station Sabine Pass. There were no reported injuries. "These people were definitely prepared," said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Mcclure, 8th CG District command center watchstander. "They had a device called a SPOT on board their boat that allows short messages and their GPS location to be broadcast to multiple agencies that could assist them. It's thanks to them being prepared and utilizing that emergency system that we were able to successfully conduct this search and rescue case with no problems." Read full story here.
 
03-20-13 ATLANTA, GA State House OKs lower alcohol limits for boat operators Reacting to high-profile deaths on Lake Lanier, the Georgia House of Representatives has approved a proposal to lower the allowable blood-alcohol limits for hunters and anyone driving a water vessel in the state. Senate Bill 136 would set the limit at .08 grams per 100 grams of blood (.08 percent), where it already stands for anyone operating a motor vehicle on Georgia roads. The sportsmen's limit is currently .10 grams, where it has remained in the years since lawmakers adopted tougher DUI laws for motorists.
The bill cleared the House with little opposition. Because of changes in the lower chamber, the measure now must go back to the Senate for further consideration, but it is expected to pass easily and head to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. Deal highlighted the idea in his State of the State address in January. The governor said at the time that anyone who is too drunk to drive on the road is too drunk to drive on the water. "Passing this bill will save lives in Georgia," said House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey of Atlanta. Various sections of the new law are named for Kile Glover of Atlanta and Griffin and Jake Prince of Buford, all victims who were killed in water accidents last year. The 11-y/o Glover was killed while riding in a tube being pulled by a boat. The tube was struck by a water vessel being driven by Jeffrey Hubbard, a family friend who has since been indicted in the case by a Hall Co. grand jury on several charges related to the accident. The Prince brothers — Griffin was 13; Jake was 9 — died after their family's pontoon boat was struck by a boat being operated by Paul Bennett of Cumming. He faces a May trial date for homicide and BUI. Authorities at the DNR have long noted the discrepancy in alcohol limits. They've also noted that enforcement remains difficult on the water regardless of the limits, because there are no marked lanes, making it harder to have probable cause for pulling over a boat operator. Read full story here.


#Fires #Alcohol #channel marker #Texas #Coast Guard #Drifting #Jet Ski #Washington(D.C.) #Florida #sailboat #Searchandrescueoperations #Washington (State) #Capsizing #SouthCarolina #Georgia
#Personalwatercraft
#Sailboats
#Boatingwhileintoxicated
#USCG
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