06-23-13 DES MOINES, WA 2 hurt in fire at Des Moines marina; 8 boats damaged Two people suffered severe burns and 8 boats were damaged overnight when a flash fire spread through a marina at Des Moines. Fire crews responded to the scene, the Des Moines Marina, about 15 mi. S. of Seattle, at about midnight Sun. (06-23) after receiving a report of a boat fire. Arriving at the scene, firefighters found flames spreading from boat to boat at J Dock along the waterfront. Firefighters say a woman and her boyfriend were in the bilge of their boat when there was a sudden flash fire or explosion, burning both victims. Both were taken to Harborview Med. Center with 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns on their upper bodies, said S. King Fire and Rescue Asst. Chief Gordie Olson. Their conditions were not immediately available. Family members identified one of the 2 victims as 32-y/o Dolores James. Twelve boats damaged by smoke and flames as the flames spread, and some watercraft floated loose in the marina after the fire burned away their mooring lines. Investigators said it is still unclear what specifically caused the fire. A damage estimate was not immediately available. The vessels were sailboats and power boats 20-30 ft. long. The state Dept. of Ecology says an oil containment boom was placed in the water to contain any oil that may have leaked from the boats. Read full story here.
06-24-13 HAULOVER, FL Boaters rescued after boat capsizes The USCG along with other agencies have rescued 4 boaters after their boat capsized Mon. (06-24). According to the Florida FWC, 4 men were on a 23-ft. vessel fishing when it began to tilt. Officials noticed the boat was in danger and immediately sprang into action. According to the boaters, they were out fishing for a few hrs. when they were on their way back to Haulover Marina when a rogue wave tipped the boat over. The boaters said they are grateful to be alive and thank the officers who helped them. One boater was wearing a life vest. They are expected to be OK.Read full story here.
06-23-13 CRYSTAL LAKE TOWNSHIP, MI Boy swims for help after boat overturns Officials say a 14-y/o boy swam more than a 1/2 mi. to get help for 2 adults and a baby stranded on an overturned boat in a lake in Michigan's NW Lower Peninsula. The Benzie Co. sheriff's dept. says rescuers were called to Crystal Lake following the report Sun. night (06-23) about the overturned boat.
Before authorities arrived, a man and the 14-y/o used another boat to rescue a 30-y/o man, a 23-y/o woman and a 9-m/o child from the water. All those rescued were wearing lifejackets, including the infant, and they weren't injured. The sheriff's dept. says wind and wave conditions were factors in the craft overturning, as well as the boat's relatively small size. Read full story here.
06-23-13 RAVALLI COUNTY, MT 6-year-old dies after boat capsizes in Bitterroot Authorities say a 6-y/o girl died after a drift boat capsized in the Bitterroot River. Joslyn Sage Farrell was in the boat when it capsized Sun. (06-23) in the hydraulic step below a diversion dam between the Woodside and Tucker fishing access sites. Ravalli Co. Sheriff Chris Hoffman says she and others in the group were caught in strong currents. Hoffman says emergency crews arrived to find CPR being performed on the girl on a gravel bar downstream. She was transported to a Missoula Hosp., where she died. Farrell lived in Washington state and was spending the summer with her father in Missoula. No other injuries were reported. Read full story here.
06-15-13 ONEIDA COUNTY, NY Person rescued from Lake Delta A person was rescued from Lake Delta Sat. afternoon (06-15). The victim, who reportedly was in a kayak when it flipped over, was breathing but unconscious when the incident was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. Firefighters and law enforcement responded. Read full story here.
06-22-13 SODUS BAY, NY Child's leg broken in boating accident A child was injured in a boating accident on Sodus Bay on Fri. (06-22). Lyjha Wilton of Rochester, 36, was operating a motorboat when he was blinded by the sun’s glare and collided head-on with a moored sailboat, according to the Wayne Co. Sheriff’s Office. Wilton’s 4 children, who were all wearing the proper flotation devices, were thrown into the water. Wilton jumped into the water to retrieve his children. His 4-y/o son suffered a broken leg. Wilton was ticketed for operating an unregistered boat. Read full story here.
Morro Bay Police have identified the man killed after a boat capsized in Morro Bay Sun. (06-23). Officials say 53-y/o Christopher Castro from Bakersfield died during the accident. Police received a call from the Sandpit Emergency phone just before 7:40 a.m. Sun. The caller said 2 people had been thrown from a boat that capsized. One of the boaters had minor injuries and was able to swim to shore. The 2nd boater, Castro, was pulled from the water. First responders started CPR just before 8 a.m.
The USCG helped transport Castro to a local hosp. where he was later declared dead. They have not identified the boater that survived. Officials spent several hours searching the water before they found the boat. Read full story here.
06-22-13 TURKEY POINT, MD Lancaster woman drowns while boating in Chesapeake Bay A Lancaster woman on an overnight boating trip with her husband drowned Sat. evening (06-22) in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland authorities said Sun. (06-23). Nancy Rogers, 75, died after she was swept up in a fast-moving current while preparing to take a swim around 6 p.m., according to Natural Resources police spokesman Sgt. Brian Albert. Rogers was entering the water from a ladder on the side of the boat when the tide pulled her away. "She struggled but was unable to get back," Albert said. A passing boater pulled Rogers, who had by then lost consciousness, from the water and performed CPR. She was taken to Union Hosp. in Elkton, Md., where she was pronounced dead around 8:30 p.m. An autopsy was performed Sun., but Albert did not immediately have the results.
Rogers and her husband set sail from Bay Boat Works marina in North East, Md., around noon Sat.
They planned to stay the night on the boat, which had been anchored near Turkey Point. Albert described the couple as experienced boaters.Read full story here.
06-22-13 CODY, WY Boat capsizes in Buffalo Bill Reservoir, group rescued A couple who observed children atop a capsized boat on the reservoir about 6:30 p.m. Sat. (06-22) called nearby friends to arrange an immediate rescue. The group quickly launched a boat into the choppy waters of Buffalo Bill Reservoir and was able to safely bring Casey Nolan, 37, and his daughters ages 6, 7, and 11, and the 15-y/o daughter of Justin Loran, 40, to shore. Loran swam to shore on his own, clinging to a picnic cooler as a flotation device. William Metz said he and wife Mavis were driving past the reservoir on the S. side when they noticed a boat on the turbulent waters. According to the Park Co. Sheriff’s Office, winds were blowing across the lake causing 3-ft. swells to rock the small boat as it attempted to make land before a thunderstorm blew in. When the boat flipped over about 1,000 ft. from shore, Nolan and Loran were able to push the 4 girls, all wearing lifejackets, out of the cold water and onto the bottom of the capsized boat. “We pulled over to see if they were OK and saw the boat was capsized,” William said. “We called 911 and told the operator what happened. They said S&R would be out, but I realized they were not going to get there fast enough. “So I called a friend who lives close to the lake,” he added. “I said, ‘We’ve got a capsized boat with people on it.’ He said, ‘I’ll be right there.’”
Sue Copper said she and husband Jerry, 72, live on Bartlett Lane and could see the capsized boat from their house. When William called, they dropped what they were doing to help. “(Jerry) was able to cut through the water and get close to them,” William said. “Then I reached over and pulled the girls off the other boat. I couldn’t have done it if not for him.” After dislodging an anchor that fell out when the boat capsized, they group headed to shore with the over-turned boat in tow. The victims were treated for hypothermia at the scene by West Park Hosp. ambulance crews assisted by Park Co. Sheriff’s deputies.
The accident is being investigated by officers from Game and Fish and the Wyoming Division of State Parks. Read full story here.
06-22-13 GIBSON, LA Gonzales man killed in boating accident A Gonzales man was killed Sat. morning (06-22) in Gibson, La after crashing his bass boat, according to the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries. 38-y/o Buddy Ray Poche was pronounced dead at the scene, WLF spokesman Adam Einck said. The accident happened around 11:00 am in the barge canal near the Bayou Black Marina. For unknown reasons Poche lost control of his boat, ran into the bank and then some trees and cypress knees. Poche was the only person on board. Gibson is in Terrebonne Parish about halfway between Morgan City and Thibodaux. The accident remains under investigation.Read full story here.
06-22-13 EUFAULA LAKE, OK Tulsa Man Taken From Eufaula Lake By Helicopter After Boating Injury A Tulsa man was taken from Eufaula Lake by medical helicopter after a boating injury, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Two men were tubing on the lake near the Belle Starr area just before 2 p.m. on Sat. (06-22) when they took a spill, the OHP report says. The driver of the boat, James Moon, 49, of Broken Arrow, came back around to pick up his passengers. George Miller, 19, attempted to grab the ladder on the back of the boat and suffered a 10-in. gash to his calf. Passengers pulled Miller onto the boat and applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Miller was transported by Southeast EMS to a Eufaula hosp., then to a Tulsa hosp. His condition is unknown, but he is said to be stable, the report says. All boaters were wearing PFDs, according to OHP. Read full story here.
The DNR said 2 jet skis were traveling SE on the lake when 2 Shinnston women turned left in front of 22-y/o Kyle Thompson of Bridgeport. The DNR said Thompson couldn't avoid hitting the 2 woman. Thompson went over the bow and went airborne. The crash caused all 3 people to be thrown into the water. A jet ski struck one of the woman in the head and chest. She was taken to Ruby Mem. Hosp. and is currently in ICU. The 2nd woman was treated and released from Grafton City Hosp. Thompson refused treatment. Read full story here.
06-22-13 BALLWIN, MO Jet Ski Accident in Castlewood Three people are injured in a jet-ski accident on the Meramec River — including an 11-y/o girl. Missouri Water Patrol officers say it happened Sat. afternoon (06-22) in Castlewood State Park. They say the jet-ski operator was attempting to get the watercraft to shore and struck 3 swimmers. Two were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The 11-y/o had to be taken to a hosp. for observation.Read full story here.
06-21-13 HIGHLAND HAVEN, TX Boy injured in jet ski tubing accident A 12-y/o Camp Champions camper received minor injuries in a jet skit accident on Lake LBJ Fri. (06-21). Granite Shoals Fire Chief Austin Stanphill said that Granite Shoals Fire Rescue and Marble Falls EMS responded to Camp Champions in Highland Haven after a boy was injured while tubing. Stanphill said that the events leading to the injury are unknown, but it was reported that the boy was being pulled on an inner tube by a jet ski when the jet ski stopped. Read full story here.
06-22-13 NICOLLET COUNTY, MN Search for kayaker continues; river rises, current increases Forty area law enforcement and FD personnel used 9 boats, searched on shore and watched the rising Minnesota River flow past a highway bridge near a boat access Mon. (06-24) as the search for a missing 51-y/o Watertown, S.D. kayaker continued. The search was called off Mon. evening, and it will resume at 7 a.m. Tue. (06-25). The Nicollet Co. Sheriff's Office received a call at 8:04 p.m. Sat. (06-22) about a missing kayaker on the Minnesota River W. of Courtland. Three Watertown, S.D. men were kayaking when they became tangled in brush and overturned. Read full story here.
06-20-13 LAKE VIEW, IA Arizona woman rescued from Black Hawk Lake An Arizona woman was rescued from Black Hawk Lake Thur. afternoon (06-20), after the PWC she was operating with her son overturned and the 2 were separated from the craft by high winds. Samantha Welch, 34, of Gilbert, Ariz., was pulled from the lake by staff from the Iowa DNR district office at Lake View. “We had a call about an unoccupied PWC and that 2 people were in the lake yelling for help,” said Diane Mahn, secretary at the office. “I called 911 and joined Pete Hildreth in his vehicle to go to the scene.” Hildreth, district wildlife supervisor, contacted fellow DNR staff Ryan O’Neill, DJ Vogeler and Kacie Partridge, who launched a boat to assist. Welch’s son Connor, 12, successfully made it to shore and was looking for help. A resident was attempting to launch a pontoon but the high winds made it difficult. Hildreth was able to get the boat launched and motor over to Welch, who was pulled from the lake. Emergency crews arrived within 10 min. Welch was taken by relatives to Loring Hosp. in Sac City for evaluation. Both individuals were wearing lifejackets.Read full story here.
06-23-13 SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ After canoe flips, bystander helps save two men from drowning in South Brunswick Two township men were canoeing early Sun. morning (06-23) in the Delaware and Raritan Canal when their vessel was pulled into the churning waters of a canal lock. Their green canoe overturned, tossing the 2 men into the water and down through the lock gates, according to police. They tumbled down into the turbulent waters below. That's when Lawrence Marchak, a 47-y/o of Haddon Township, rushed to the canal and tossed the men a rope. He was able to use the rope to pull the men out of the canal lock and its strong current, Sgt. Jim Ryan, a South Brunswick police spokesman, said. The 2 men refused medical treatment, though they had taken on some water, Ryan said. The S. Brunswick PD, Kingston First Aid Squad, paramedics and the New Jersey State Park Police responded to the call. Police did not release the identities of the men who were rescued.Read full story here.
06-2-13 HONOLULU, HI Lifeguards rescue man from sinking 1-man canoe Lifeguards rescued a man Sat. morning (06-22) near the Halona Blow Hole after the one-man canoe he was riding in began to take on water, the Honolulu FD said. Fire rescue crews were called to the scene around 10:10 a.m., but Capt. Chris Ah Mook Sang said their help was not needed. "Ocean safety took care of alarm," Ah Mook Sang said. "They were able to get some crews out there and assist the gentlemen to shore." Read full story here.
Base officials say Tech Sgt. Jason Mower died Sat. (06-15) when the canoe he was in overturned on Lake Metigoshe. Another airman in the canoe surfaced but Mower did not. His body was recovered Sun. morning. (06-16). Mower had been in the Air Force for 11 yrs. and had been stationed at the Minot base since 2010.Read full story here.
06-15-13 BOONVILLE, IN Man killed in canoeing accident An autopsy is underway on the Warrick Co. man who died Wed. (06-15) after a canoeing accident. 69-y/o Bill Chappell of Boonville was on the Blue River with his wife Wed. when they hit a partially submerged tree and flipped over and he got trapped underneath it. Bill's family describe him as an outdoors man, a good Christian and a family man that was always willing to lend a hand, but it was the quick thinking from a grandson and his girlfriend that gave him a fighting chance. "I told Jacob, their boat had flipped, he jumped out of the boat, left his kayak and starting swimming towards him, and once he got there bill was lodged underneath the tree," Kyla Masterson. Bill's grandson Thomas and his girlfriend Kyla were kayaking about ¼ mi. behind Bill and his wife when they saw the overturned canoe. The family says Bill didn't know how to swim but was wearing a life vest. "I picked the canoe up, freed him, and pulled him out. But then at the time I got him out, the current was so strong, I could barely hold him and me up because I almost got sucked underneath there too," says Thomas Moss. Kyla gave Bill CPR several times and once they got to the shore, Bill began to breathe and spit up water. While they waited for emergency crews, Thomas returned to the river to help a large group of Jasper High School students also in canoes, who were headed for the very same tree. Some of the students' boats were getting sucked underneath, and they were actually going underneath and coming up on the other side. Bill was taken by helicopter to the Univ. of Louisville Hosp. where he later died.
06-23-13 LAKE POWELL, UT Woman’s body found after lake boating accident On Sun. (06-23), searchers located the body of one of 2 women they had been searching for since a boating accident on Thur. (06-20). Kane Co., Utah officials tweeted Sun. that the body of Valerie Bradshaw was located at about 7:12 p.m. in about 340 ft. of water. The body was retrieved by the Lake Powell dive team, and it is being transported to a medical investigator. Search efforts were suspended for the night after Bradshaw was found. Search efforts for the other woman, 22-y/o Jessica Jackman, will resume Mon. (06-24). Read full story here.