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Boating Accident News 8/23/2013

By Kristy Moore posted 08-23-2013 11:09 AM

  
08-21-13 HAVERSTRAW, NY Pearl River mom saved after 2 hours in Hudson When David Mannon realized his wife had fallen into the Hudson River and drifted from their boat early Wed. morning  (08-21), he called 911. Katherine Mannon, 48, of Pearl River, was rescued after 2 hours adrift in the river. She credits her positive outcome to a life vest, an item she said has been a constant companion while boating since the tragic accident that claimed lives near the Tappan Zee Bridge in July. Mannon said she was cleaning the deck of her family’s cabin cruiser as her husband and son watched a movie inside shortly after 1 a.m. With her life vest in hand, she had climbed over the stern to raise a ladder when a wake from another vessel hit at the just the right moment, sending her into the water. “In 2 seconds, I was 20 ft. from the boat and getting further away,” she said. “I was upset when I realized I wouldn’t be able to get back on my own power. The current was strong and I didn’t want it to pull me into the center of the river where I would have been in real peril.” A frantic search by rescuers from Rockland and Westchester counties ensued, encompassing points between Stony Point and the lower section of Haverstraw. “Haverstraw Bay is a big area,” Haverstraw Fire Chief Al Lynch said. “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.” Katherine Mannon has had much experience on boats, is in good physical condition and has no fear of the water. As responders worked to rescue her, she took her own survival steps, taking her vest off and using it as a “noodle” that would allow her to paddle with her arms and kick with her legs and seeking to recognize every possible advantage. “I had a lot going for me,” she said. “It was a full moon and the water was calm. I figured, ‘I have the flotation device and I know which way the current is going, there’s no point in screaming out for help because nobody’s going to hear me anyway.’ ” At points during her 2-hr. journey, she saw barges and the lights of rescue boats, but was too far to make contact. She said it wasn’t until she was about 100 yds. from shore that she came across help. “I saw the rescue boat and the spotlights, but they couldn’t see me,” she said. “I had almost gotten to shore. I could see the guys there and was able to yell out to them, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ ” William Barbera, chief of the patrol for the Rockland Co. Sheriff’s Office, said the rescuers on shore included a sheriff’s officer and a Haverstraw police officer. The wife and mother was pulled to safety minutes later. Mannon suffered from a mild case of hypothermia, but recovered quickly; by 3 p.m. she had returned to work as an office manager for a local physical therapy provider. She said she is generally a shy person, but wanted to share her story in the hopes of raising awareness for the importance of life vests. “Since the accident near the Tappan Zee Bridge last month, I always make sure to keep this on, no matter what,” she said. David Mannon said he has 12 flotation devices onboard his boat, but that he plans to add strobe lights to them for added caution. “Anyone that boats at night should go slow, be smart and should absolutely have a vest on,” David Mannon said. The Mannons also praised the actions of the emergency responders and said they were forever grateful. Read full story here.  
 
08-19-13 FIRE ISLAND, NY Lindenhurst man's 911 call leads to kayakers' rescue Two kayakers in distress were rescued after a Lindenhurst man who heard them out in the water called 911, USCG officials said Wed. (08-21). Gem Hattat, 19, was walking the docks of a Lindenhurst marina at 8:54 p.m. Mon. (08-19) when he heard something offshore. He promptly called 911, and his report went to the CG and Suffolk Co. police. Once notified of the possible distress, the CG issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and dispatched a 25-ft. rescue boat from Station Fire Island. Once on the scene, the marine police found 2 kayakers who had fallen in the water and needed help. The pair was quickly assisted and brought to safety. Lt. Shannon Smith, of CG Sector Long Island Sound, said both were in good condition and returned to the shore. Smith said she had no further information.
Neither kayaker was wearing a lifejacket. Read full story here.
 
08-17-13 RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA Driver sought in boating hit-and-run that seriously injured woman Authorities are looking for the driver of a boat who failed to stop after striking and seriously injuring a woman who fell off a PWC into Lake Elsinore over the weekend. The accident happened shortly before 8 p.m. Sat. (08-17) off Elm Grove Beach, the  Riverside Co. Sheriff’s Dept. said. A 20-y/o woman had been riding on the back of a PWC, fell into the lake and was hit by a passing boat. Capt. Shelley Kennedy-Smith said the woman saw the boat coming towards her and tried to dive underwater to avoid it. The operator of the PWC pulled the woman from the water and drove her to shore, where bystanders called 911. The woman, a Los Angeles Co. resident whose name was not disclosed, was taken to a hosp. for treatment. Sheriff’s officials said her injuries were serious but not life-threatening. Investigators have yet to identify the driver of the boat that failed to stop and no one could give a description of the vessel.Read full story here.
 
08-20-13 BEMIDJI, MN Man rescued after canoe overturns A canoeist was rescued Tue. night (08-20) in west-central Minnesota after his canoe tipped and he walked through thick woods and a cornfield. Robert Tiwari, 45, of New Prague, was not injured. Tiwari told Meeker Co. authorities he had rented a canoe from The Riverside Store in Forest City at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and planned to canoe the North Crow River for a few hours, camp and return Wednesday. He said the river current was stronger than he had anticipated and his canoe overturned.  Tiwari was able to get back into his canoe, paddle to shore and walk through a dense wooded area and a cornfield to a road. After Tiwari called 911, a dispatcher was able to determine his approximate location by asking him to describe his surroundings. Deputies eventually located Tiwari by driving in the area and activating sirens.Tiwari told the dispatcher when the sirens were most audible. Tiwari declined medical attention and was driven by a deputy back to his vehicle.Read full story here.
 
08-19-13 DOVER, ME Woman rescued after canoe tips in river A Dover resident helped rescue a woman from the Salmon Falls River after she fell out of her canoe Mon. evening (08-19).
According to Dover Fire Captain Paul Haas, it appears that a woman, 43, who was staying at Indian River Campground in Eliot, Maine, embarked on a solo canoe trip before somehow overturning the vessel and becoming stranded in the water. Dover resident John Pazdon, 35, who works at the Raymond and Simone Savage Wildlife Preserve, said he heard the woman calling for help. Pazdon had his girlfriend call 911 while he ran to retrieve his boat. Pazdon then drove his boat to the launch on the river and went out in search of the woman. Pazdon found her near her submerged canoe and helped pull the woman into his boat. He said she was somewhat disoriented and was wearing a life vest, though he said it was not on properly. An ambulance and a fire engine from Dover received a call at 8:27 p.m. The ambulance was stationed at Eliot Bridge, while the fire engine was stationed near Three Rivers Farm Road. Haas said that by the time emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Pazdon had located the woman. Pazdon brought the woman to shore before returning to the water to retrieve her canoe. Haas said the woman, who was not named at this time, elected not to be taken to the hosp. for further medical evaluation. He estimated the woman had been in the water for around 45 min. Pazdon said about half an hour had elapsed from the time he heard a call for help to the time he pulled the woman into his boat. Read full story here.
 
08-21-13 SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL Sheriff's helicopter helps locate lost boaters A pair of boaters got some help from above when they became lost on the Little Econ River Wed. night (08-21). The Seminole Co. Sheriff’s Office reports they used their helicopter to help locate 2 men who called for help while boating on the river. The sheriff said dispatchers used one of the men’s cell phone to help locate them, and from there the helicopter helped guide them to shore using the public address system and spotlight. Oviedo police also helped with the rescue.Read full story here.
 
08-17-13 KELSEYVILLE, CA Man injured in Saturday boating accident A man was flown to a regional trauma center on Sat. (08-17) after being seriously injured in a boating accident near Kelseyville. The accident occurred at about 1:45 p.m. on Clear Lake, according to Kelseyville Fire Chief Mike Stone. Stone said the man – whose name was not available – fell off the back of his boat into the lake. When the man fell into the lake, the boat's propeller hit him in the back. The sheriff's patrol picked the man up and transported him to Braito's Marina, where Kelseyville Fire crews met them. By the time firefighters saw the man, he already was bandaged up, so Stone could not offer additional details about his injuries. A landing zone was set up for an air ambulance at Buckingham, and the victim was flown to Santa Rosa Mem. Hosp. Read full story here.
 
08-22-13 LAKE CONROE, TX Two rescued on Lake Conroe after boat capsizes Thursday With the thunderstorm around 6 p.m. on Thurs. (08-22), high winds on Lake Conroe caused a sailboat to capsize about 6:15. Montgomery Co. Precinct 1 Marine Division Lt. Brian Luly was the first responder to the scene, Lt. Timothy Cade said. Two men, one in his 40s and the other in his 20s, were wearing lifejackets while sailing on a catamaran on Lake Conroe. “High winds from the storm caused it to capsize,” Cade said. Both men were rescued safely and all worked together to get the sailboat right-side-up. Both men boarded the vessel and sailed back to Seven Coves, as Luly followed them to safety. “Because they were wearing lifejackets, this is a good story,” Cade said. Read full story here.
 
08-21-13 SIOUX CITY, IA Boater rescued after boat capsizes in Missouri River Sioux City police responded Wed. evening (08-21) to calls of a capsized boat in the Missouri River. Sioux City police Sgt. Chris Groves said a boat in the Missouri River hit a wake and capsized. Before police were able to assist the boater, he was picked up by another boater, Groves said. The 2nd boat then towed the capsized boat to the shore. There were not any other passengers on the capsized boat, and nobody is believed to have been injured. No other information was immediately available.Read full story here.
 


#Maine #Searchandrescueoperations #Accident #California #Iowa #Texas #Capsizing #Minnesota #Helicopters #Kayak #Canoesandcanoeing #NewYork #Injury #hit and run #Florida
#BoatingaccidentsX
#Woundsandinjuries
#Kayaks
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