06-20-13 LAKE POWELL, UT One dead, two missing in Lake Powell boat crash One person was dead and 2 were missing Thur. (06-20) after a boating accident at Lake Powell. About 8:15 a.m., the Nat’l. Park Service dispatch got a call about an accident involving a motor boat and a houseboat at buoy 43 near Dangling Rope Marina. One female from the motor boat died and 2 other females were missing in the water, according to the Kane Co. Sheriff’s Office. Other people on the boat were injured and at least one was flown from the scene in a medical helicopter. The sheriff’s office could not immediately relay many details about the accident due to a lack of good communication from the remote area where the accident occurred. The office was withholding the deceased female’s name until they can notify her family. The Nat’l. Park Service, Utah State Parks and Kane Co. Sheriff’s Office were working together to find the missing victims and to investigate the accident.Read full story here.
A boater described by authorities as a Good Samaritan took 3 children aboard. Two adults stayed on their boat in hopes it could be kept from sinking. The boat capsized, throwing the adults in the water, where they were rescued by the San Diego Harbor Police. The 5 are all in good condition, according to the USCG station in San Diego. A salvage company has been called in an effort to tow the boat. Read full story here.
06-18-13 LA GRANGE COUNTY, IN Garrett man hurt in boat accident A Garrett man suffered minor injuries Tue. (06-18) in a boating accident on Witmer Lake. Keith Platter, 50, was operating a 2002 Basstracker boat around 5:12 p.m. Platter throttled the motor down as he prepared to enter the idle zone connecting Witmer Lake and Westler Lake. Brian Light, 38, of LaGrange, was following closely behind Platter in 1991 Procraft boat when he struck the rear of Platter’s boat and ramped over it. Light’s boat struck Platter on the back of the head and crushed the windshield on Platter’s boat. Platter suffered a minor head injury and required no medical attention.Read full story here.
06-17-13 SAGINAW BAY, MI Otter Lake boy dies in boating accident near Linwood on Saginaw Bay Michigan State Police troopers from the Tri-City Post are investigating a boating accident on Saginaw Bay that resulted in the death of a 14-y/o Otter Lake boy. The youth has been identified as Dallas Schal, who accompanied his father and uncle on a fishing excursion out of the Linwood Beach marina on Mon. (06-17). Their 15-ft. boat capsized sometime during the day due to storm conditions, according to the Michigan State Police. The 3 occupants clung to the capsized vessel through the day and into Mon. night, troopers stated, and Tue. morning (06-18), the vessel drifted close to the shoreline near Killarney Beach in Bangor Township. The 2 men were able to make it to shore and were transported to McLaren Bay Region Hosp., where they are being treated for exposure. The youth was recovered by emergency personnel near the scene and was pronounced dead by the medical examiner. The cause of death is believed to have been due to exposure/drowning, troopers stated. Troopers were assisted by Canadian Coast Guard, the USCG, Bangor Township FD and McLaren Ambulance. Read full story here.
06-20-13 STONY POINT, NY Worker escapes boat fire in Stony Point A worker was able to avoid tragedy when the boat he was working on went up in flames at Patsy's Bay Marina in Stony Point. Stony Point police say the worker was making mechanical repairs on a 39-ft. Donzi when he smelled fuel. When he started up the engine, the boat went up in flames. Officials say a section of the dock was badly charred. Police say they are investigating, but add that the fire does not look suspicious. The 8-y/o boat worth $350,000 was completely destroyed. Read full story here.
06-20-13 RED BANK, NJ Red Bank: Fire Damages Docked Boat Fire damaged a yacht docked at a Red Bank marina early Thur. afternoon (06-20). Quick action by 2 employees of Irwin Marine, adjacent to Marine Park on the Navesink River, enabled them to move the burning vessel away from other boats in the marina, said firefighters, who extinguished the blaze from the promenade alongside the park. Nels Lybeck, an Irwin mechanic, suffered lacerations, but refused medical attention. “We were blowing out windows to get hoses in there, and his hand was cut,” said fellow mechanic Chris Davison, who with Lybeck moved the burning boat. The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m. aboard a 44-ft. Carver yacht dubbed Lou’s Crews’n. No immediate information was available about its ownership. An investigation was just beginning, said borough Fire Marshall Tommy Welsh, who said the cause of the fire was likely electrical in nature. Read full story here.
06-19-13 SKAMOKAWA, WA Man, two dogs rescued from disabled boat near Skamokawa The USCG and Wahkiakum Co. Sheriff’s deputies rescued a man and his 2 dogs stuck on a disabled boat near Skamokawa on Wed. morning (06-19) — saying afterward that the incident was a good reminder to boaters to always have emergency communications onboard. The man was fishing near Steamboat Slough when the motor failed on his 19-ft. boat, according to the CG. He used a cell phone to call his wife at 9:43 a.m., and she called authorities. A CG helicopter out of Air Station Astoria was in the area on a training run, located the man about an hr. later and directed the sheriff’s boat crew to his location. Sheriff’s deputies towed the boat, with the man and his dogs, to the Cathlamet Marina. No injuries were reported.Read full story here.
John Walls, 74, of Duncansville was fishing with a 78-y/o male on Thur. (06-20) in Hopewell Township when he lost his balance and fell overboard from the boat he was fishing from, state police at Huntingdon said. Walls was unable to return to the boat. Area dive teams were summoned to search for Walls. His body was found at 9:40 p.m. An autopsy has been scheduled. Assistance was provided by PA Fish and Boat Comm., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dive teams from Newton Wayne, Smithfield and Mount Union, the Huntingdon Co. Coroner, Saxton VFD, and Huntingdon Co. Emergency Mgmt. Agency.Read full story here.
06-20-13 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NY Teen Injured In Boating Accident A collision between 2 PWCs in St. Lawrence Co. Thur. (06-29) sent a Heuvelton teenager to a Syracuse hosp. St. Lawrence Co. sheriff's deputies say 17-y/o Bryan Green was operating a PWC on the Oswegatchie River near the Heuvelton boat launch when he turned in front of another machine operated by his father, Ronald Green Jr. Bryan Green was thrown from his vehicle. He was transported by helicopter to Upstate Medical Univ. in Syracuse, where he was treated for an injury to his lower leg. Read full story here.
06-19-13 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, OH Indian Lake Victim’s Brother Tried To Save Him James Lamarr, 75, of Waynesfield, died Wed. (06-19) despite the efforts of his brother to aid him, state investigators report. Mr. Lamarr and his brother, who was not listed in the Ohio DNR incident report, had launched a boat from Lakeview Harbor and experienced engine trouble. Mr. Lamarr entered the water to look at the engine and to install a drain plug. He was able to put the plug in 3/4 of the way before coming back to the surface. He attempted to swim toward the boat which was drifting away from him. His brother attempted to throw him a rope to rescue him. The victim then went under water and did not resurface. A rescue effort was initiated after a 911 call around 12:20 p.m.
The victim was pulled from the water and transported to Mary Rutan Hosp. where he was pronounced dead. Logan Co. Coroner Michael Failor said Thur. morning (06-20) he has not received any preliminary forensic reports from an autopsy conducted at the Montgomery Co. Coroner's Office. ODNR’s Division of Watercraft is heading up the investigation. Indian Lake State Park personnel, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and personnel from Lakeview and Russells Point FDs responded along with the lake’s water rescue team. Read full story.
06-18-13 SOUTHERN TIER, NY Two drowned after seperate boating accidents Two have drowned in the past couple of days in the Southern Tier. In both cases, authorities said the victims were not wearing lifejackets. On Tue. (06-18), rescue crews pulled the body of Donald Shamus, 21 of Delhi, from the Delaware River. Shamus was kayaking with a friend when it capsized. He was thrown overboard and was swept away by the current.
A Town of Milford man died after his canoe overturned on Goodyear Lake in Otsego Co. Officials said Grant Housworth, 56, and another person were out on the lake Mon. (06-17) when thunderstorms rolled in and winds picked up. Deputies said Houseworth was swept away by the current and had to be rescued by emergency personnel. He was transported to Albany Med. Center where he later passed away. The other person was able to grab hold of the canoe and swim to shore.Read full story here.
06-20-13 HALF MOON BAY, CA Six rescued from sinking boat Six people were rescued from a sinking vessel that was taking on water Thur. morning (06-20) as it was returning to Pillar Point Harbor. The 26-ft. boat, named the Thunderbird, made a mayday distress call at about 9:20 a.m. from about 2 mi. outside the harbor. The passengers of the boat — including a father, his 11-y/o son and 2 couples — reported their boat was taking on water that was spilling in from the engine room.
Deputy harbormasters cast off in their own boat to meet the vessel, arriving about 10 min. after the mayday call. The rescue team initially tried to help keep the boat afloat and guide it back to harbor. The sinking boat could still move with a backup motor, and the San Mateo Co. Harbor Patrol tried to use a pump to remove some of the water that was quickly flooding the boat. But within 2 min., the engine sputtered and the boat was essentially dead in the water about a mi. from land, said Deputy Harbormaster Cary Smith. The boat was evacuated, and within 3 min. the vessel succumbed to the water. The passengers on the boat were reportedly from the Central Valley and had set out early Thur. morning to go rock fishing. Their vessel was one of the only boats that left the harbor Thur., according to harbor officials. None of the passengers suffered any injuries or prolonged exposure to cold from the incident.
Harbor officials say they were able to recover a 5-gal. fuel tank from the boat, but the main gas tank went down with the rest of the vessel. Smith speculated that the boat was about 60 ft. underwater and probably would be too difficult to salvage. Read full story here.
06-16-13 CAMBRIDGE, MN Man drowns after falling out of boat in Isanti County A 32-y/o man is dead after tumbling out of a boat in Isanti Co. early Sun. (06-16). Isanti Co. Chief Deputy Chris Caulk says the victim, Dylan Dusbabek of Isanti, fell overboard while boating on Long Lake shortly after 3 a.m. A friend of his who was also in the boat called 911, and first responders and divers from Isanti Co. began searching for Dusbabek. After a number of hrs. the rescue mission officially turned into one of recovery. A dive team from Isanti Co. was on the scene about 3:30 a.m. Anoka Co. arrived on the scene around 9 a.m. to assist, and with the use of sonar soon recovered Dusbabek's body in 8 ft. of water. Passengers on the boat were questioned by investigators, and the boat was impounded. At this point authorities aren't saying whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the mishap. Chief Deputy Caulk says it does not appear the victim or those in the boat with him were wearing lifejackets.Read full story here.
06-17-13 HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MI Madison Heights couple rescued in Lake St. Clair after boat capsizes A Madison Heights couple was rescued Mon. night (06-17) by a Good Samaritan boater and Macomb Co. Sheriff’s deputies when a large wave swamped their small boat in Lake St. Clair near Metropolitan Beach in Harrison Township. Sheriff Anthony Wickersham today said the situation could have ended tragically if the couple hadn’t been wearing lifejackets and carrying a cell phone with them. A 911 call came in about 5:30 p.m. of a capsized boat with 2 people in the water. The caller provided his GPS coordinates prior to his phone being rendered inoperable, the Sheriff’s Office said. When deputies arrived, the 53-y/o woman had been removed from the water by another boater. Deputies helped her 58-y/o husband to safety on shore. The couple said they launched their boat from the South River Access Site for an afternoon of fishing. About 4:45 p.m., they received a telephone call from a family member informing them of a pending storm and the couple started to head in. The couple said they had engine trouble with the 17-ft. aluminum boat. They then took on a large wave and the boat began to sink. A nearby boater heard their distress call and helped the wife onto their boat. That boater was a 36-y/o man with his wife and 2 small boys, Lt. John Michalke said. Read full story here.
06-19-13 OWASCO LAKE, NY Police respond to overturned sailboat on Owasco Lake Authorities are responding to an overturned sailboat on Owasco Lake, near Emerson Park, according to emergency dispatchers. The 4 people on the boat were all wearing life vests. No injuries have been reported. A fire rescue boat was on the way, dispatchers said. Emergency calls came in at about 1:30 p.m. Wed. (06-19).Read full story here.
06-20-13 LAKE NORMAN, NC Boy,9, dies after jet ski accident on Lake Norman NC Wildlife investigators said a 9-y/o boy is dead after a jet ski he was riding on collided with another on Lake Norman Thur. (06-20). The accident was reported at about 4:15 p.m. Wildlife investigators said 4 children aged 15, 15, 10 and 9 were riding together on 2 jet skis when one of the drivers slowed down in order to let the other jet ski catch up. Investigators believe the trailing driver didn't see the other watercraft slow down and ran into the back if it. The force of the impact killed the 9-y/o who was riding on the back of the jet ski that crashed. NC Wildlife investigators are not releasing the boy's name because of his age. They said the boy was in town visiting his grandparents. The other 3 children were not seriously injured. The children were operating the jet skis safely, NC Wildlife investigators said. Read full story here.