Officials name victim in fatal Seminole Lake boating accident 1-7-2014 – Lake Seminole, GA
One of three duck hunters did not survive the capsizing of a boat on Lake Seminole Tuesday afternoon. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the body was recovered around 5:00 p.m. 17-year old Matthew Jernigan's body was recovered not far from where a boat he and his two classmates were in had an accident near Riverside Acres. Boats from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources patrolled Lake Seminole in the extreme South west corner of Georgia after the boat accident. The Sheriff says Jernigan and Pason Trawick and Thomas Vines are students at Southwest Georgia Academy in Damascus. School was closed Tuesday due to cold weather. According to the Sheriff, the boys went to retrieve their ducks when the boating accident happened. Unsure if it capsized sunk or what but he says the boat was underwater when authorities arrived Trawick and Vines swam to a nearby island and called 911. Area farmer Brad Thompson used his helicopter to locate the two boys. They were picked up by boat and taken by ambulance to Donalsonville Hospital There was no word on their conditions or if the two are still there. Jernigan was last seen floating on a gas tank before his body was recovered.
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Boaters rescued on Indian River after boat capsizes 1-11-2014 – Titusville, FL
Two Brevard County boaters were rescued on the Indian River Saturday after windy conditions caused their boat to capsize. Officials said high winds caused the boat to capsize around noon on the Indian River in Titusville. The boaters treaded water for more than 30 minutes while waiting for rescuers. "Sometimes it springs up on us, I think today it was pretty obvious it was going to be a little windy there, but people feel they are experienced enough," Titusville Fire Chief Greg Sutton said. Crews deployed boats into the river and a rescue helicopter watched from above as the boaters were taken back to shore. They were cold and tired, but otherwise uninjured, officials said. According to fire officials, water rescues can be a race against time to prevent mild hypothermia. "Even if it appears the water is not cold, it's a matter of how long you're in the water," Sutton said. The boaters' small green power boat was towed back to shore still upside down. The boaters' names haven't been released.
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Two hunters dead, third in fair condition after boat capsized in Westport River 1-7-2014 – Westport River, RI A 51-year-old duck hunter from Westport is expected to survive and his two companions are dead, after their skift capsized this morning in the frigid waters of the Westport River, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's office and the U.S. Coast Guard. The survivor is identified as Gregg Angell, according to Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the DA's office. Angell was flown by Coast Guard helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital. A spokeswoman at Rhode Island Hospital said at 4:15 p.m. that Angell is in fair condition. The two men who died are Steven James, 53, of Marshfield and Robert Becher, 55, of Cromwell, Ct. The DA's office said a boat carrying the three duck hunters apparently capsized on the Westport River near River Road. Westport Harbormaster Richard Earle and a Coast Guard official said two of the men were recovered by the harbormaster's office after they washed ashore on the West End of Horseneck Beach. They were taken to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. The third hunter was rescued from the banks of Corey's Island in the river, according to Coast Guard Lt. Mike Deal, the pilot of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter out of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. The hunter was spotted waving his arms, giving the international sign of distress, he said. A rescue swimmer was lowered down to the hunter to assess his condition as the helicopter hovered above.
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U.S. Coast Guard rescues three fishermen off South Carolina coast 1-11-2014 – Beaufort County, SC
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a sinking vessel off the South Carolina coast Saturday. The fishermen aboard the 62-foot Christina Leigh called Beaufort County dispatch via cell phone after the ship began to take on water near Calibogue Sound, just south of Hilton Head Island, and their VHF radio was damaged. Beaufort County contacted the Coast Guard in Charleston, which put out an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched crewmembers from the Tybee Island station at 3:04 p.m. and a helicopter from Savannah, according to a release issued by the Coast Guard. The helicopter arrived and saw the Christina Leigh listing to the right, getting battered by the surf. The three crewmembers stood on the bow, signaling the helicopter. The helicopter crew directed the 25-foot response boat to the sinking boat and all three fishermen were safely aboard the boat at 4:06 p.m. None of the fishermen were injured. All were wearing their life jackets. The Christina Leigh has about 280 gallons of diesel on board. The Coast Guard says investigators have been notified and will attempted to obtain a salvage plan from the owner. An auxiliary aircraft is scheduled to conduct an aerial assessment of the site for potential pollution.
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Man falls from boat, presumed drowned 1-11-2014 - Seattle, WA
A man who fell from a sailboat into Lake Washington on Saturday is presumed dead after a search of the water about off Magnuson Park. A man who fell from a sailboat into Lake Washington on Saturday morning is presumed dead after an extensive search of the water about 200 yards off Magnuson Park. Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt said people aboard the sailboat noticed one of their companions had not been seen for some time. They spotted the man’s life jacket in the water and called 911 shortly after 10 a.m., she said. The Police Department’s Harbor Patrol Unit, along with the Seattle Fire Department, the King County Sheriff’s Marine Unit and the Coast Guard all responded, but the rescue effort switched to a recovery effort about 40 minutes in, said Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Sue Stangl. The harbor patrol spent hours searching for the man’s body in deep water but failed to recover the body of the man before the search was halted at dusk. His identity was not released.
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Winter Weather Cause For Tulsa Man's Boat Sinking In Grand Lake 1-10-2014 - Tulsa, OK
A Tulsa man's plan to hit the water this weekend sunk, right along with his boat, thanks to our recent cold snap. Boat experts say many boat owners have been spoiled by Oklahoma's mild winters. They say, in this instance, the boat owner did just about everything right, but neglecting one thing turned out to be an $80,000 mistake. "All the fabrics, the wood, everything in the boat is saturated in oil," said Wade Silzer with TowBoatUS Grand Lake. He said when his company pulled the boat up, all the electrical lines were corroded and both $15,000 engines were useless. "The owner thought he had taken all the proper precautions," Silzer said. "He's devastated and heartbroken on top of that." Silzer said the boat's dock lost electricity, cutting power to the boat's heating systems. The water filtration system froze and then burst in the -2 degree temperatures, allowing gallon after gallon of water to seep in. "They're made of glass or plastic, so they're the weakest link," Silzer said. Silzer said if you don't take the proper precautions, the freezing weather can also cause your engine block to crack costing thousands of dollars.
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Man dies after boat capsizes 1-10-2014 – Rota, Guam
A 43-year-old man died yesterday morning after his boat capsized near the boat basin on its way to Rota. The unidentified man is the third water-related death in a week and the third of the year. He was pronounced dead yesterday morning at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, according to hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Zingalie. Another man in the boat was taken to Guam Memorial Hospital. His status wasn't available last night. The two men, both from Rota, were in Guam for a shopping trip and were heading out the Hagåtña boat basin yesterday morning when high waves in the area capsized the boat, said Joaquin Lizama, a fisherman who was at the marina. The waters were rough near the boat basin channel and the two men decided to turn around, but their boat was overturned and the two men were faced with the rough seas. Lizama said he planned to go out fishing, but the rough seas convinced him to stay out the water. Jermaine Guerrero, who was checking the water to go out surfing, said he saw the boat capsize and said one of the men in the boat appeared to be in shock. Guerrero jumped into the water and pulled the man ashore. The other boater was able to get to shore on his own.
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Car falls into Washington Channel Car falls into Washington Channel 1-8-2014 - Washington, DC
A vehicle plunged into the Washington Channel and crashed into a boat in Southwest Washington on Wednesday. It happened at the Capital Yacht Club near 7th Street and Maine Avenue. The driver, who may have had a medical emergency, burst through two barriers and destroyed several sailboats before being taken to an area hospital. Later on Wednesday, a crane was finally able to lift the Lexus out of the Washington Channel. Mason Wilcox owns and lives on the boat the car slammed into, and he was at work at Coast Guard headquarters when it happened. "I got several phone calls all at one time," he recalled. "I knew exactly what it was. Something happened to my boat." But he was stunned when he saw exactly what had happened to his home. Before falling into the Channel, the driver of the car smashed through a heavy iron fence and kept going from there. Bill Trayfors was a witness who was with a group that ran to the car to help. "We heard this just incredible noise," he said. "He said, you know, 'help me, help me,' while they were trying to cut him out." As bad as the situation looks, boat owners here say the driver could not have landed in a better spot. Several sailboats helped break the fall, and a cable attached to the big boat kept the car from plunging completely into the frozen channel. "If he had been this way about 40 or 50 feet, he would have been gone, he would have been in 20 feet of water," said Bill Trayfors.
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Helicopter rescues sailor from boat crash by Piedras Blancas 1-10-2014- Piedras Blancas, CA
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescued a sailor who crashed his boat into rocks near Piedras Blancas Lighthouse early Thursday morning. The sailor was a middle-aged man sailing alone from the Bay Area to Morro Bay in a 32-foot fiberglass boat with a diesel engine. He allegedly mistook Piedras Blancas for San Simeon Point and crashed into rocks just north of the lighthouse around 3 a.m. Thursday. The crash snapped the boat’s mast and disabled the radio. The sailor used his cell phone to call 911, prompting the Coast Guard to send a rescue helicopter from Alameda. Around 5 a.m., the helicopter arrived at the scene and lifted the sailor from his boat to shore in about 10 minutes. The sailor did not suffer any injuries.
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Two young duck hunters boat capsizes 1-6-2014 - Belvidere, TN
Luckily able to make it to safety after falling into freezing water Two young men are fortunate to be alive after braving the freezing temperatures Monday morning to go duck hunting out on the Elk River, near Vanzant Bend in Belvidere. Lincoln County residents Adam Bagley and Dannen Moore had a terrifying experience when their boat capsized while out on the river. Bagley told a Nashville news station as a pretty experienced hunter, he wasn’t all that concerned about the weather. “I’ve been duck hunting since I was 5 or 6 years old,” he said. According to Bagley, duck hunters are apt to have more luck when the temperatures are cooler. “(Duck hunting) gets good when it gets cold like this,” Bagley told Nashville reporters. The young men said they were aware that the cold weather, with water temperature at close to 40 degrees and air temperature just under 10 degrees, can make duck hunting risky. Everything was going as expected for the pair until the boat collided with a tree limb, causing Bagley and Moore to fall into the water. From that point on, the boys’ hunting excursion made a turn for the worse. Though there were lifejackets in the boat, Bagley and Moore didn’t have them on at the time of the incident. Tennesse Wildlife Resource Agency’s officials have since stated that while they definitely recommend boaters wear lifejackets, they can’t guarantee they will.
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Man dies after boat capsizes off Hagatña boat basin 1-9-2014 – Hagatña, Guam
The man who was pulled from the water after a boat capsized off the Hagatña boat basin this morning is dead. The man was rushed to Naval Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:05 this morning, the hospital's administration confirmed just minutes ago. Coast Guard Sector Guam was involved in the rescue effort. The second person on the boat suffered some minor injuries and was sent to Guam Memorial Hospital. A fisherman at the boat basin said the two men planned to travel to Rota, where they live. Joaquin Lizama said the two were on island to shop and were returning to Rota when the boat overturned. However, it looked like they were trying to turn around because of rough seas. As they were turning the boat near the entrance of the marina the boat capsized, the fisherman said. Lt. Edward Artero, Guam Fire Department spokesman, said GFD got the call of the emergency at 7:29 a.m. GFD medics were administering CPR en route to Naval Hospital, Artero said. The second person was treated on the scene.
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