Blogs

Boating Accident News 7/19/2013

By Kristy Moore posted 07-19-2013 10:14 AM

  

07-16-13 BUFFALO, NY 7 rescued for sinking boat in harbor The USCG says it has rescued 7 people from a 21-ft. motor boat that sank in Buffalo's Outer Harbor after striking a reef. Officials the CG Buffalo station received a call around 9 p.m. Tue. (07-16) from a 911 operator reporting that a pleasure craft had struck a reef and was taking on water while operating outside the marked channel in the Lake Erie harbor. A rescue boat from the Buffalo station arrived on the scene and brought all 7 people aboard. When the rescuers arrived, only a few inches of the other vessel's hull was showing above the surface. The crew used a pump to raise the boat and tow it to the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo. No injuries were reported. Read full story here. 

07-17-13 CHICAGO, IL Kayaker Rescued After Boat Starts Sinking In Lake Michigan A kayaker was saved after calling for help on a ship-to-shore radio Wed. afternoon (07-17)  after his kayak started sinking on Lake Michigan. “We were all surprised, usually kayakers go out there and they have nothing, he had a good radio. I heard him perfectly,” said a Police Marine Unit officer who asked not to be named. The man, 52, was pulled out of the water; along with his sinking kayak at about 3:45 p.m. nearly 21 mi. E.  of Monroe Harbor after 2 police boats and a life guard boat heard his call over the radio. “He was wise enough to know he needed a water-proof portable hand-held radio and a good life jacket,” said the marine unit officer. “A cellphone wouldn’t have worked, cell phones and water doesn’t get along well.” A rogue wave or the wake from a passing boat swamped the man’s kayak. Rescuers found the man clinging to the sinking vessel. He wasn’t injured and was just thankful to get back Burnham Harbor. He said he was going to go for a bike ride. Read full story here.  

07-17-13 MARTIN COUNTY, FL Chris Thornton: Boat captain, passenger rescued after their boat caught fire off of Martin County Two boaters received a scare Wed. (07-17) after their boat caught fire off of the Martin Co. shoreline. The Martin Co. Sheriff's Office and USCG escorted the 48-ft. boat back into the St. Lucie Inlet. The boaters were on their way from Volusia Co. to the Keys for next week's lobster mini season, when they ran into problems off of Sailfish Point. "The engine room hatch is in the salon of the vessel and the flames were shooting up out of the hatch so we got our fire extinguishers and put it out but apparently that wasn't enough," said boat captain Chris Thornton.  Martin Co. Sheriff's Office Marine units took firefighters about 500 yds. offshore to get to the boat. The 2 men on the boat say it was fortunate that they were so close to the coastline so they could be rescued. Investigators are looking into whether an exhaust leak was the problem. Read full story. 

07-18-13 AIKIN COUNTY, SC Coroner: Body and boat recovered from Edisto River An investigation is underway after a body was recovered early Thur. morning (07-18) from the Edisto River. The Aiken Co.Coroner says the victim has been identified as 81-y/o John Champy Senior, of Williston. According to Coroner Tim Carlton, Champy's body and the boat he was operating were found around 4 a.m., 2 mi. upriver from the Veterans Road Boat Landing. Carlton says Champy was an avid fisherman, and a search for him started when he didn't return home after he went fishing around 9:30 a.m. on Wed. The Aiken Co. Coroner's Office and the DNR are continuing to investigate, but say foul play is not suspected at this time. An autopsy is scheduled for Thur. morning in Newberry. Read full story here.  

07-16-13 CANANDAIGUA LAKE, NY Boat catches fire on Canandaigua Lake Firefighters and police responded to a call Tue. (07-16) for a boat fire in Canandaigua Lake. A neighbor reported a motorboat on fire in the middle of the lake near North Menteth Point around 3:30p.m. Tue. The Cheshire Fire Chief Mike Miller tells MPN that the 16- to 18-ft. motor boat was owned by Randall Johnson of Mosely Road, Fairport. Miller said the boat operator and 2passengers escaped safely and were rescued by a passing boaterThe boat operator reported extreme heat coming from the engine compartment before flames were visible. By the time firefighters arrived in another motorboat to recover the damaged vessel, it was fully engulfed in flames. The cause of fire is under investigation by the Ontario Co.  Emergency Management Office. Read full story here. 

07-15-13 WALHALLA, SC GA man dies after canoe overturns on Chattooga River A man canoeing with his son and a friend along the Chattooga River on Mon. (07-15) died after his boat overturned and he drowned, according to the coroner's office. Oconee Co. Coroner Karl Addis said the group was canoeing near Mountain Rest when his canoe overturned as they approached Sandy Ford about 5:40 p.m. Addis identified the victim as Ralph Head of Madison, GA. A friend of Head's was in a separate boat and turned back to see the 64-y/o man floating in the river, away from his canoe. Head's body was pulled from the river about 7:30 p.m. It appeared as if his legs were entangled in the undercut of a rock and the current pushed him underwater. The man was wearing a helmet and personal flotation device. Head died as a result of freshwater drowning, according to Addis, his manner of death is classified as accidental. The SC DNR is investigating. Read full story here. 

07-16-13 LAKE ANNA, VA UPDATE: Man killed in Lake Anna jet ski accident identified UPDATE: The victim in Tue. (07-16) deadly jet ski accident on Lake Anna was identified as 23-y/o Russell Jones of The Plains, Va. Ron Messina, with the Va. Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, said Jones and his brother were riding jet skis in the wake of a pontoon boat when the incident happened. Investigators are meeting with the Commonwealth’s Attorney to determine if any charges will be filed.

A man was killed in a Jet Ski accident on Lake Anna, according to Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries Sgt. Ryan Shuler. Shuler said the 23-y/o victim’s Jet Ski collided with another jet ski Tue. morning. People in 2 boats witnessed the accident. Those witnesses picked the victim up out of the water and performed CPR on him while they brought him back to Duke’s Creek Marina in Bumpass. Judy Jones, who has run Duke’s Creek Marina for 9 years, said she heard the accident happened in a split second.  “What I heard was 2 jet skies were out there and they cut across a wake,” Jones said. “And one of them went airborne and hit the other individual and put him into the water.” Jones also said that the family of 8 in a pontoon boat who came to the victim’s aid was “quite shook up” about what happened. The Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries is investigating the accident. At this time no charges have been filed in connection with the incident. Read full story here. 

07-16-13 LEAGUE CITY, TX Woman injured in jet ski accident on Clear Creek A 20-y/o woman was transported to Clear Creek Regional Med. Center following a jet ski accident on Tue. (07-16). According to witnesses, 2 women were jet skiing around 5:30 p.m. in Clear Creek near the 1000 block of Highway 3 when the passenger on the jet ski fell and possibly hit her head on a piling. Another jet skier saw the woman and called for help. The woman was taken to the hosp. Read full story here. 

07-15-13 GRAND ISLAND, NY Two jet skis crash in Niagara River Two jet skis were involved in a crash in the Niagara River Mon. evening (07-15) just S. of Buckhorn State Park. The Erie Co. Sheriff’s Office says they responded to the scene where 2 16-y/o males were operating jet skis. The sheriff’s office says an operator of 1 Jet Ski was ejected from his watercraft after turning quickly, causing the 2nd jet ski to strike the other. The teen ejected from the Jet Ski was assisted by a Good Samaritan until the Grand Island Marine Unit arrived. The victim was taken to Erie Co. Med. Center with apparent minor injuries. Read full story here. 

07-15-13 LAKE SHAFER, IN 1 hospitalized after personal watercraft collide on Lake Shafer A crash of 2 rented personal watercraft on Lake Shafer just after 5 p.m. Mon. (07-15) sent 1 person to the hosp. with a broken leg. Shousho Guo of the Indianapolis area was a rider on a personal watercraft piloted by Nan Liu, 24, also of the Indianapolis area, according to an IN DNR report. Their friend, Ao Zhang, 25, of the Indianapolis area, was driving another personal watercraft close to the one Liu was driving. Near Indiana Beach, Liu turned her watercraft in the direction of Zhang’s. Since the 2 were so close, Zhang did not have time to react, and his vehicle hit Liu’s, sending Liu and Guo into the water. Guo suffered a broken leg and was initially taken to IU Health White Memorial Hosp. He later was transferred to Franciscan St. Elizabeth East. Read full story here. 

07-12-13 SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, VA Boy hurt when struck by tuber An 11-y/o boy suffered a concussion Fri. morning (07-12) after falling off a personal watercraft and being struck by a tube being towed by the PWC on Smith Mountain Lake. Conservation police officer Nathaniel Bowling said the boy, who is from NY, was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hosp.  He was kept there several hrs. for observation and released. The incident happened between 10 and 10:30 a.m. near the mouth of Craddock Creek.  The boy briefly lost consciousness after the incident before he was put on the personal watercraft and brought to a nearby private boat dock. There were 2 other people on the PWC, including the 18-y/o operator.  They and the person on the tube were not hurt. No charges will be filed in the incident. Read full story here. 

07-14-13 SWEET HOME, OR Ore. teen hit by propeller in boating accident A 14-y/o boy was hit with a boat propeller after he fell off of an inner tube in a Linn Co. lake Sun. afternoon (07-14). Deputies were called just after 2:30 p.m. to the report of a boating accident on Foster Lake, near Sweet Home, according to Linn Co. Sheriff Tim Mueller. Cheryl Jones, 37, had been driving a boat and towing her son Brandon on the tube when he fell into the lake. When Mrs. Jones came back to pick him up, Brandon was hit with the propeller of the boat causing cuts to his back. Emergency crews treated Brandon at the scene and he was taken by helicopter to Oregon Health & Science University. His condition was not released. The investigation was continuing. Read full story here. 

07-14-13 SODUS BAY, NY Body of missing boater in Sodus Bay recovered The search for a Wayne Co. man who fell overboard while boating on Sodus Bay Sun. afternoon (07-14) is over. Authorities recovered the body of Tony Weaver, 40, of Lyons, Mon. (07-15) in Sodus Bay, close to Eagle Island, according to Chief Deputy Bob Hetzke of Wayne Co. Sheriff's Office.  Weaver was alone in his boat, just S. of Eagle Island in Wayne Co. Sodus Bay, when he hit “rogue wake,” which caused the boat to pitch and threw Weaver into the water about 3:45 p.m., said Chief Deputy Bob Hetzke of the Wayne Co. Sheriff’s Office. Another boater, traveling on the bay a short distance behind Weaver, witnessed the incident and attempted to lend a hand. Weaver went underwater almost immediately and was not seen again by the boater. The USCG, Wayne Co. sheriff’s deputies including the dept.’s. dive team, and firefighters from several Wayne Co. fire depts. all assisted at the scene. Read full story here. 



#Indiana #Boatcaptains #tuber #Florida #death #Drowningvictims #Jet Ski #Harbors #Capsizing #teen #Missingpersons #Propeller #struck #sinking #SouthCarolina #Lakes #NewYork #kayaker #Fires #recovery #Canoesandcanoeing #passenger #Virginia #watercraft #Texas #Illinois #killed #Searchandrescueoperations #collides #Accident #Oregon
#BoatingaccidentsX
#Personalwatercraft
#Kayakers
#Death
#Tubing(Aquaticsports)
#Innertubes
#Boatsandboating
#Propellers
0 comments
162 views