Accidents of the Week - April 18, 2026
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3 Federal Agents, 2 Boaters Rescued in Rough Seas
3/31/26 - Toa Baja, PR
The U.S. Coast Guard worked with Puerto Rican police to rescue three federal agents and two other people after two boats capsized off Puerto Rico's "Goat Island."
The operation, which unfolded in rough seas in darkness, was captured on video. The Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action notified Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan of a capsized vessel off the coast of the islet at 9:05 p.m. on 31 March, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The watchstanders issued a broadcast alerting other boats in the area, and dispatched a 45-foot Coast Guard response boat and a Jayhawk helicopter. A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Caribbean Air and Marine Branch marine unit and a Puerto Rico police helicopter also responded, the Coast Guard said.
During Rescue in 10-Foot Swell, CBP Vessel Capsized
Shortly after the assets were dispatched, a "Good Samaritan" reported seeing the 22-foot vessel, the Coast Guard said. They confirmed it was capsized and said two people were holding on to it. The reporter was able to provide a position for the responding assets. The Puerto Rican police helicopter was able to fly over the site.
As the CBP marine unit approached, it was met with 10-foot swells, the Coast Guard said. In the rough waves, the marine unit capsized and three agents were thrown into the water. The Coast Guard response boat attempted to reach the agents and the boaters, but were unable to due to the sea conditions and location of the original capsized vessel.
The Puerto Rican police helicopter crew was able to rescue one boater and one agent and transport them to the island. When the Coast Guard's Jayhawk helicopter arrived on scene, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the ocean. The swimmer was able to rescue the remaining two agents and boater.
All five survivors were transported to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard said. First responders treated the survivors for minor injuries.
Fire Sinks Two Boats on Columbia River
4/5/26 – Vancouver, WA
Officials in Vancouver, Washington, were investigating the cause of a fire that engulfed and sank two boats on the Columbia River on 5 April.
Firefighters were called out to the scene just after noon. When crews arrived, they discovered two boats – a 65-foot vessel and a 35-foot sailboat – on fire. No one was on board either boat at the time the fire started and no injuries were reported, fire investigators said.
Both vessels were tied to a floating anchor about 50 feet from shore when they caught fire. They both eventually sank. No further details were released at the time.
Two Dead After Speeding Boat Crashes into Shoreline
4/7/26 – Mohave Co., AZ
Two people were dead after a speeding boat crashed into the shoreline along the Colorado River on 7 April, according to authorities. Deputies responded to the crash near the Topock Gorge north of Lake Havasu at about 4:50 p.m., the Sheriff's Office in Mohave County, Arizona, said.
They found two people involved in the collision. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other later died from his injuries at a hospital.
Boat Crashed into Arizona Bank, Came to Rest on California Side
Investigators determined the two were traveling north on the river at a high rate of speed in a 2002 25-foot Daves Custom Boat, according to the sheriff's office. "The boat lost control and struck the rock shoreline on the Arizona side of the river," the sheriff's office said.
"The boat continued where it came to rest in the reeds of the California shoreline." The two men killed were identified as Noah Welch, 33, and James Rutherford Jr., 53, both of California.
4 Boaters Rescued by the Coast Guard Off Fire Island
4/4/26 - Long Island, NY
A boating party of four adults endured over three harrowing hours off the coast of New York’s Fire Island, in the open Atlantic Ocean, before the dramatic U.S. Coast Guard water rescue was safely achieved.
The distress call was received by USCG around 5:45 p.m. on 4 April — a 45-foot sport-fishing yacht was caught in dangerously high waves. The two men and two women aboard, aged between 55 and 30, were struggling to navigate the craft under hazardous conditions several miles southwest of Moriches Inlet.
They had departed from the Connetquot River near Oakdale earlier in the day. A motor lifeboat was deployed from the Shinnecock Coast Guard station in Hampton Bays, but it had trouble reaching the party.
It was ultimately an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched from Cape Cod, MA, that reached the distressed vessel at 8:45 p.m. A USCG rescue swimmer on board the helicopter was dispatched into 12-foot-high waves.
Coast Guard Credits PFDs, Radio Equipment for Positive Outcome
The rescue swimmer successfully hoisted all four passengers safely aboard the Jayhawk by 9:45 p.m. EMS crews met the helicopter at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach and medically cleared all rescued passengers.
A USCG spokesman said that having life jackets and proper radio equipment on the yacht made a difference in the outcome of the case, and added that a small-craft advisory was in effect at the time of the incident.
The yacht was left adrift, and a radio broadcast was placed for boaters in the area of its presence.
30-Foot Boat Catches Fire at Dock
4/6/26 – Lee Co., FL
A 30-foot vessel caught fire in St. James City, Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The vessel was unoccupied and tied to a dock when it caught fire.
The FWC, Lee County Sheriff's Office, and Matlacha Fire Rescue responded to the scene, with the cause of the fire under investigation.
Boater Injured in Wreck on Tennessee River
4/11/26 - Decatur, AL
The Rescue Squad in Morgan County, Alabama, was called to a boat wreck on the south side of the Tennessee River on the afternoon of 11 April.
A preliminary investigation showed that the boat may have hit an object underwater, which caused it to flip over several times. The Morgan County Rescue Squad said three people on the boat were thrown into the water, and nearby boaters stopped to help and call 911.
One person was injured in the wreck. The Morgan County Rescue Squad said their crews took the patient to a nearby boat ramp. Decatur Fire and Rescue and Decatur Morgan Ambulance provided care before transporting the patient to Decatur Morgan Hospital for further care.
The Alabama State Trooper Marine Patrol Division conducted an official investigation.
Coast Guard Rescues 2 After Vessel Takes on Water
4/11/26 – Miami, FL
Two mariners were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on 11 April after their vessel started taking on water in the Miami River, officials said.
According to the USCG, there were 15 people on board the vessel. The mariners were safely brought back to shore, and there were no injuries reported. USCG said a plan to recover the vessel was in place.
Rescue Crews Pull 2 from Water After Tiki Boat Sinks
4/11/26 – Annapolis, MD
Two people were rescued from the water after a vessel sank near Tolley Point, Maryland, on the morning of 11 April, according to fire officials.
At approximately 10:55 a.m., Fireboat 2 was returning to the dock following a man overboard training exercise in the Rhode River when crew members heard a broken VHF radio transmission reporting a sinking vessel and people in the water.
Moments later, at 10:58 a.m., units were officially dispatched for a watercraft emergency near Buoy 5 in the Severn River. Fireboat 2 responded and coordinated with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Coast Guard as additional information became available.
Upon arrival near Tolley Point, crews located a submerged 25-foot tiki boat with two individuals in the water. DNR personnel deployed personal flotation devices to the individuals while Fireboat 2 maneuvered into position and safely recovered both from the water, which was reported to be approximately 57 degrees.
The two individuals were evaluated by responders and transported by Fireboat 2 to a nearby dock in the Lake Ogleton area, where EMS units were waiting to provide further care.
Crews from the Annapolis Fire Department and Anne Arundel County Fire Department also responded to the incident, which remained under investigation.
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