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Boating Accident News 11/15/2013

By Kristy Moore posted 11-15-2013 03:20 PM

  
One man dies after boat capsizes in Essex 11/13/13 – ESSEX, MD One person died, and two others were taken to a local hospital after a fishing boat capsized in Essex Wednesday, according to Natural Resources Police.  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials have identified the man who died as James Christopher Bills, 24, of Essex.  Bills and two friends had gone fishing around 2:30 p.m. in a motorless 12-foot jon boat near Cox's Point pier in the 800 block of Riverside Drive, and when they came out of the creek into the main stem of backriver, they were met by 10-15 mph winds and 2-3-foot waves, natural resources police spokeswoman Candus Thomson said.  When the three realized they were facing hostile conditions, they tried to turn the skiff around, and were hit by three waves and capsized, Thomson said.  About 20-25 minutes later, another boater was able to get his boat over to save two of them, but he couldn't find Bills, whose friends said couldn't swim, Thomson said. Officials said water temperatures in the area were about 65 degrees.  Baltimore County Fire & Rescue found his body in the 8-feet-deep water around 3:30 p.m.  All three men were taken to Franklin Square Hospital, officials said.  The other boater, whose name was unavailable, was one of the few whose boats are still out on the water this time of year, as many put them away for the winter, Thomson said.  "The fact that this guy saw and heard what he did, and that his boat was still running and got out there is amazing," she said. Read full story here.
 
Fatal Back River Boat Accident 11-13-13--ESSEX, MD Maryland Natural Resources Police say a boater died and two others were rescued after a fishing boat capsized in the Back River.  Police say the 12-foot vessel overturned Wednesday afternoon about 300 yards from the Cox Point Fishing Pier in the Essex area.  Another boater pulled two of the men from the water and paramedics took them to Franklin Square Hospital. Details of their conditions were not available.  For several minutes, the third man was unaccounted for, but rescuers found him and pulled him from the water. Officials say 24-year-old James Bills of Essex was pronounced dead at the hospital. Read full story here.
  
Coast Guard rescues man from sail boat in Estero Bay 11-13-13--St. Petersburg, FL A 59-year-old man was rescued from a 44-foot sail boat by the Coast Guard in Estero Bay on Tuesday.  The Coast Guard was contacted just after 5:00 p.m. via cell phone, from a man suffering from seizure-like symptoms and was in need of medical assistance.  The man was rescued at 5:15 p.m., and taken by EMS at 5:26 p.m. to Gulf Coast Medical Center for further care.  The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to ensure they are carrying all of the proper safety equipment, such as flares, a VHF-FM radio and other emergency signaling and communication devices aboard their vessel. Cell phones are not the preferred method of communication at sea due to gaps in service. Read full story here.
 
Boat nearly sinks after escape hatch opens 11-13-13--Big Pine Key, FL Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said a go-fast boat nearly sank as it headed north from Key West, when the escape hatch underneath it opened.  Officials said the captain of a boat was able to steer the vessel to a nearby sandbar after it started taking on water, Tuesday afternoon.  After the captain steered it to a nearby sandbar, the boat was eventually lifted out of the water. Read full story here
 
Canoe Capsizes In Housatonic River 11-9-13--Shelton, CT One person was sent to the hospital after a canoe capsized in the Housatonic River late Friday.  The person’s injuries did not appear to be serious.  The incident was reported about 11 p.m. and triggered a response from firefighters and emergency responders from Shelton, Derby and Seymour.  It was first reported as a capsized canoe in the area of 54 Birchbank Road in Shelton. A person was out of the water within minutes of the call.  Then emergency responders received info indicating there were two more people in the water. A number of boats entered the chilly Housatonic to begin searching.  Within about 20 minutes, the two people were reported to be on the shore getting checked out by EMS.  The canoe was found across the river near the Lake House restaurant in Seymour.  It wasn’t clear why the trio was in a canoe so late with temperatures in the 30s.  White Hills Fire Company Second Lt. Kevin McCue was the incident commander, coordinating the response of dozens of volunteer firefighters.  “When we arrived on scene, police very quickly had contact with one victim,” McCue said. “Shortly after that we found the over-turned boat. After that we had marine units established from Shelton Fire Department, Derby Fire Department, Seymour was contacted, police as well to light up both sides of the river.”  Additional details weren’t available as of 11:40 p.m., as firefighters had yet to exchange information with the police department.  “(It was) great turnout for a cold Friday night,” McCue said. Read full story here.  
 
6 rescued after canoe trip in metro Birmingham 11-12-13--Vestavia Hill, AL Six people had to be rescued after becoming stranded during a canoe trip in metro Birmingham. Vestavia Hills police say three adults and three children were canoeing on the Cahaba River on Monday afternoon when it began to get too dark to find their way back.  Fire officials talked to the group by cellphone, and police Lt. Brian Gilham says searchers found them on a bank of the river.  Officials say it took almost three hours to find the group, and no one was injured. Read full story here. 
 
Kayaker rescued by helicopter off Point Bonita 11-11-13--Point Bonita, CA A kayaker was rescued by helicopter from Point Bonita on Sunday after rough seas washed him into the rocks near the point's lighthouse.  The unidentified man escaped uninjured, but was "beat up a little from the waves," said Highway Patrol Officer Mike McAuley, who piloted the rescue helicopter.  The kayaker "said a rogue wave got him. It spun him out of the kayak and threw him up on the rocks," McAuley said. "He was probably 40 feet up, but the waves were still kind of getting him."  The kayaker was lifted from the rocks by a rescue hoist.  The U.S. Coast Guard, Southern Marin fire, the National Park Service, and park police responded to the call, McAuley said. Read full story here

Body found in Minnesota River likely missing kayaker 
11-9-13--St. Peter, MN
A body was recovered from the Minnesota River on west of Judson on Saturday morning.  The Nicollet County Sheriff's Office said that the body was found at about 11:30 a.m. It was located in a log jam on the river by a fisherman.  Authorities said the body is believed to be that of Steven Fritze, of Watertown, S.D. Fritze was kayaking in the river and has not been seen since June 23.  A positive identification is pending results of an autopsy, officials said. The autopsy is being conducted by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner.  The Minnesota DNR Enforcement Division also assisted in the recovery of the body.
Read full story here.  
 
Search Suspended For Missing Boater On Cumberland River DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. – A search was suspended Thursday for a boater who went missing on the Cumberland River in Dickson County.  The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said 55-year-old Kenneth Dean Elliott, of Clarksville, launched his boat for a fishing trip during the day Monday on the Ashland City side of Johnson Creek.  He never returned home, and officials started looking for him around 7:30 p.m.  Dickson County EMA said Elliot's boat was later found washed ashore on the Dickson County side of the creek.  After nearly three days of searching to no avail, the TWRA suspended the search. Read full story here. 


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