07-27-13 LITTLE SODUS BAY, NY Stranded on capsized sailboat for 7 hours, two men rescued after shining flashlight at Coast Guard Two men whose boat capsized on Lake Ontario were stranded for about 7 hrs. before emergency responders found and rescued them late Sat. night (07-27). The men were suffering from dehydration and hypothermia when found at about 11 p.m., according to officials at the USCG, which led the search. They were rescued after catching the eye of a member of a search crew by shining a flashlight at a CG boat. The 2 men had set out on a round-trip from Oswego to Little Sodus Bay in their 15-ft. sailboat at about 2:30 p.m. Sat. They planned to arrive by 4 p.m. When they still had not returned by 10 p.m., the mother of one of the men called the CG in Oswego. The Oswego Co. Sheriff's Office confirmed that their car remained parked by the Oswego dock. A search for the men then began, and a CH-146 Griffon helicopter was launched from Trenton, Ontario, to assist the CG boats. About an hour later, crews searching near Little Sodus Bay saw the flashlight and found the men, who were wearing life vests. The boat capsized shortly after 4 p.m. and the men were not able to right it despite several attempts.Read full story here.
07-26-13 PENOBSCOT BAY, ME Coast Guard aids injured man on sailboat in Penobscot Bay The USCG said it helped take an injured man off a sailboat early Fri. morning (07-26). The CG received a call by VHF radio shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thur. (07-25) from the sailing vessel Elusive that a 79-y/o man may have fractured some ribs. The vessel was located about ½ mi. N. of the island of Vinalhaven. CG Station Rockland launched a 25-ft. boat and located the Elusive shortly after midnight. By 12:41 a.m. Fri., the injured man was aboard the CG boat. “He was picked up and safely transported back to Station Rockland,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Joyce, a watchstander at Sector Northern New England, said. Rockland EMS took him to Pen Bay Med. Center in Rockport for treatment. His condition and identity was not immediately available. Read full story here.
07-30-13 DECATUR, AL Team Investigating Deadly Boating Accident on Tennessee River The Tennessee Valley Authority has a team in Decatur to investigate a high voltage line that came very low on Tue. (07-30), killing a boater. TVA’s Vice President gave a news briefing on the deadly accident. Anthony Szozda, 65, of Athens, died just a couple of mi. N. of the Tennessee River bridge in Decatur, near Ingalls Harbor. Szozda and a friend were competing in a fishing tournament on the river. Officials say a call came about a boating accident near Nucor Steel. A witness said a TVA high voltage line running across the river came down low enough to catch a boat on the river. TVA Vice President Justin Maierhofer said that TVA knew about the fallen line at 2:30pm, hrs. before it killed Szozda. He also says that TVA alerted officials to close that part of the river. According to the witness, the boat hit the line and then it snapped up, striking Szozda. He died on the river. TVA Executive Vice President and Chief Energy Delivery Officer Rob Manning released the following statement:
“We are taking this very seriously and are working closely with the authorities to understand the facts around this event. TVA exercises all appropriate caution when we do our work at all times. The safety of the public, our employees and our partners is our top priority.” Read full story here.
07-30-13 HARVEY CEDARS, NJ Doylestown Man Airlifted After N.J. Boating Accident A Doylestown man who was boating in New Jersey was airlifted to the hosp. Tue. (07-30) after he hit an inland waterway channel marker and got a concussion. Brian McCabe, 52, hit the marker around 11 a.m. near Harvey Cedars. Authorities said that McCabe was the only person on the boat and he was taken to an Atlantic City hosp. for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Harvey Cedars Police Chief Thomas Preiser said that several bayfront homeowners witnessed the accident and took their boats out to help McCabe. Read full story here.
A 28-y/o man seriously injured Sun. (07-28) by a boat propeller at Pyramid Lake is improving at Henry Mayo Newhall Mem. Hosp., a hospital spokeswoman said Wed. (07-31). The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, is listed in critical but in stable condition in the intensive care unit, said hosp. spokeswoman Katreena Salgado. The man was airlifted to Henry Mayo from Pyramid lake Sun. morning after he was cut by the propeller of a boat and suffered a 12-in. laceration across his abdomen. Deputies with the Los Angeles Co. Sheriff’s Dept. Parks Bureau said Sun. that the victim had been in the water trying to free fishing line from the propeller of his boat when someone turned on the engine and put the boat in reverse. Read full story here.
A boating accident in Surf City this weekend sent a 14-y/o boy to the hosp. Officials with the NC Wildlife Resources Comm. said the boy is in stable condition after he fell off an innertube being tugged behind a boat in the ICW in Surf City Sat. afternoon (07-27). The boat was being driven by Michael Blackwood of Raleigh, said John White, a Wildlife Enforcement Officer in Jones Co. Blackwood had 3 other passengers on the boat and was pulling a tube with 2 minors on the back. White said they left the access area at Surf City and headed N. toward the W. Onslow Beach access area. As they were going through the Surf City ICW, the weight of the boat created a wake which the tube started riding on top of.
“The tube came off the wake, it went sharply to the right toward the channel markers and it glanced off a pole,” White said. He said one of the kids on the tube was merely knocked off and suffered no injuries; however, the other, according to witnesses, tried to push himself off the tube and ended up hitting the mile marker in full force. White said the boat’s driver had a spotter and immediately saw what had happened, so they turned around for the child, whose name has not been released because he is a minor.
They found him unconscious and face down in the water, but he was wearing a lifejacket, so he was floating on the water when they pulled him out. They immediately started CPR and after a few moments he started breathing again. White said the group on the boat called 911 and met an ambulance at the Surf City access area, where the minor was taken to New Hanover Regional Med. Center. He was treated for internal bruising of the kidney and spleen, a laceration to his jawline and chin, and underwent surgery to his knee. White said Tuesday that he was in stable condition. Read full story here.
07-23-13 GULFPORT, MS 1 dead and 1 injured in boating mishap One teenager is dead and another injured after a boating mishap in Gulfport. It happened Tue. (07-23) in the Industrial Canal at Gulfport Lake. The teenagers were riding on a tube being pulled by a 21-ft. boat. The boat went around a curve and the tube slide out toward the bank and struck a tree. The teenager who died has been identified as Mason Turner, 15, of Saucier. Authorities have not released the name of the boy injured.
08-01-13 JAMESTOWN, RI Sailboat aground in Jamestown with no one aboard The USCG and public safety officials are investigating a sailboat that has beached itself near Fort Getty with its mainsail up but no one on board. The fear is that someone could have fallen overboard.
There is no wind, and the waves are slight. The Jamestown harbormaster and officials of the PD and FD are checking out the sailboat, whose estimated length is 28 ft. Read full story here.
08-01-13 BOCA GRANDE, FL Coast Guard looking for owner of green kayak off Boca Grande The USCG is seeking the public’s help in identifying the owner of a green kayak found approximately 6 mi. off Boca Grande Pass on Thur. (08-01). CG watchstanders at Sector St. Petersburg command center received notification that a 10-ft. green Sun Dolphin Aruba II kayak was found by a good Samaritan at 6 p.m. There was an empty sandwich wrapper, shrimp and fishing gear found in the kayak. The CG has launched search and rescue crews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater, a 45-Ft. Response Boat-Medium from Station Cortez and diverted the CG Cutter Marlin, an 87-ft. Coastal Patrol Boat from Sector Key West.Read full story here.
The longtime mayor of a tourist village on a popular Adirondack lake says no one was hurt when he ran his motor boat into a rock during a nighttime excursion. Village of Lake George Mayor Robert Blais said that he and 6 passengers were heading home from a restaurant on the northern end of the lake when his 24-ft. boat ran aground Sat. night (07-27) just N. of the village. Blais said the boat sustained some damage but its hull was intact. He said a light used to illuminate a buoy marking the rock at night was out.
The Lake George Park Comm. investigated the accident. No tickets were issued. Blais has been mayor of Lake George since 1971.Read full story here.
08-01-13 PORTLAND, OR Investigators: Transfer of fuel ignites Jantzen Beach boat fire Portland Fire & Rescue battled a yacht fire Thur. afternoon (08-01) on Hayden Island, E. of the Jantzen Beach shopping area. Investigators say the fire was started on the 30-ft. yacht when someone tried to transfer fuels onto the boat. An electrical malfunction on the boat ignited the fuel. The yacht was docked on Tomahawk Island Drive in a community of floating homes. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent homes and boats. Early Thur. afternoon, Vancouver motorists could see a large plume of black smoke across the river. Read full story here.
07-31-13 SEATTLE, WA Boat takes on water, Coast Guard rescues 8 A USCG boat rescued 5 adults and 3 children when a 45-f.t pleasure boat started taking on water in Puget Sound. All eight people were transferred Wed. afternoon (07-31) to the Seattle-based rescue boat. No one needed medical help. The pleasure boat was being towed to Port Orchard. It's not known why the boat started taking on water near Blake Island.Read full story here.
07-27-13 TANGENT, OR Sprint boat crash Video of a jet boat that crashed into a spectator area during a race Sat. (07-27) shows how quickly the tone of the event changed from a day of high speed entertainment to one of instant terror. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured at the U.S. Sprint Boat Association race in Tangent, Ore., over the weekend, but there were some scary moments when a boat clipped an island and went straight into the crowd at 50-60 mph. The course is billed as the world's largest of its kind. There have been crashes there before, but this was the first time a boat had crossed the lawn and gone through a fence in front of spectators. "It was driver error completely," said Kyle Patrick, who built the course. "He just hit the side and he was going so fast; we've never had a boat that fast go in to the fence." Organizers are now taking a close look at what happened. Read full story here.
08-01-13 FT. MYERS, FL 2 burned during boat refueling fire Fire Rescue crews responded to The Landings, located off McGregor Blvd. in Ft. Myers after 2 minors were burned during a flash fire Thur. afternoon (08-01). The Iona-McGregor Fire District said a family was refueling their boat when gas fumes "flashed." A 15-y/o and an 11-y/o both sustained minor burns and were transported to HealthPark Hosp. for treatment. There was minor damage to the boat. The Iona-McGregor Fire District urges residents and visitors to understand that when an enclosed area is not ventilated, the fumes from gas will collect. These fumes are volatile and at the right mixture, when introduced to a spark and oxygen, will ignite. It is very important to run the blowers prior to starting the engine to avoid this happening. Read full story here.
07-29-13 LEE COUNTY, FL Woman shocked by lightning on Caloosahatchee River A woman was shocked by lightning Mon. (07-29) while on a boat on the Caloosahatchee River. Twenty-four hours later, Jewell Cartales remains in the hosp. A half-hour from her Cape Coral home, out on the Caloosahatchee River near Shell Point, Cartales watched the storms forming in the distance. "On my way to get the towels, I was closing the hatches," she said. On the way home from a sunny day on Captiva, she was preparing her family's new boat for the upcoming rain. "I was sticking the screen back in. I had just finished latching it. I saw the lightning, heard the thunder and got, like, electrocuted," she said. She felt a jolt go through her entire body. "It hit my hand like when you touch an electrical thing. It shocked me," she said. Instead, she passed out. The Iona-McGregor FD said lightning hit the water near the boat. It wasn't a direct hit, but an electrical charge that shocked her. There were 6 people and 3 dogs on the 37-ft. boat. No one else was injured. Cartales was taken by ambulance to HealthPark Hosp. At first the mother of 4 says her heart was pounding, her body shaking -- and she couldn't walk or move her arm. A daylater she's mostly back to normal. She'll remain in the hosp. one more night while the doctor monitors her heart. There was no damage to the boat...except the radio. Florida Fish and Wildlife are not investigating any further. Read full story here.
07-21-13 NICEVILLE, FL Capsized boat owner: ‘It could have been a disaster’ The first wave swept 2 children off the front of Pete Marchiando’s boat. The 2nd wave washed completely over it. By the time the 4th wave struck, the 72-y/o Niceville man was the only one still on the 24-ft. vessel. That wave rolled the boat, tossing him into the water. Strangers on 2 passing boats stopped to pull the 8 stranded boaters to safety, despite the rapidly deteriorating conditions. The Marchiandos had taken 6 visiting relatives — including 3 children — to a Destin beach, heading home when Pete noticed a storm coming in over the Gulf of Mexico. They were in Choctawhatchee Bay when he looked over and saw a huge charter fishing boat rolling so badly he could see the bottom of the vessel. No one on his boat was wearing a lifejacket. The children who went overboard first could swim, although the 11-y/o was panicking. Marchiando described the experience as horrific. “It could have been a disaster,” he said, choking up. “We could have had 8 people out there dead, floating. It unfolded that fast. The Marchiandos’ boat was totaled in the incident, the hull damaged beyond repair. Read full story here.
07-26-13 PIERMONT, NY 2nd body found in pre-wedding boat crash in N.Y. A 2nd body was pulled from the Hudson River on Sun. (07-28) near where a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man went missing after a nighttime boat crash near the Tappan Zee Bridge. The body of a man believed to be 30-y/o Mark Lennon was discovered by someone on a recreational watercraft who then called 911, Rockland Co. Sheriff Louis Falco said. The body was found near Piermont about a mile downstream from where the body of a woman believed to be bride-to-be Lindsey Stewart was found Sat. (07-27). Falco said both families had been notified and were distraught. The bodies have since been taken to the medical examiner's office. Neither person was wearing a life vest. Stewart was set to be married Aug. 10. Lennon was the best man. Lennon and Stewart were thrown into the river Fri. night (07-26) after their speedboat crashed into a barge carrying materials for the construction of a replacement for the bridge. Four other friends, including Stewart's fiance, Brian Bond, and the boat operator, Jojo John, were hospitalized. John, 35, of Nyack, was charged Sat. with vehicular manslaughter and 3 counts of vehicular assault from a hosp. bed, where he was recovering from his injuries in the crash, said William Barbera, chief of the Rockland Co. Sheriff's Office. Authorities say they suspect John was intoxicated at the time of the crash, but they are awaiting results of blood tests. "We have probable cause to believe he operated the boat while intoxicated, that is the basis of the charges," a Sheriff's Dept. representative said. It was not immediately clear if alcohol was present on the boat at the time of the accident."I don't have any information about that, obviously we're still investigating," the spokesman said, "We've impounded the boat and it's still being searched." Read full story here.
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