Accidents of the Week - April 19, 2025
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Kayaker Missing After Going Over Falls at Night
4/12/25 – Oregon City, OR
Search and rescue operations resumed on the morning of 13 April, for a kayaker who went missing after being seen going over Oregon City’s Willamette Falls the previous night.
At around 10:52 p.m. on 12 April, multiple 911 callers reported a kayaker in distress on the Willamette River, just upstream of the falls. Witnesses stated that the individual, described as a lone adult male, went over the falls and did not resurface.
Around 7:15 a.m. the following morning, the U.S. Coast Guard located the missing kayaker's blue hard-shell kayak, which was then recovered by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.
Despite extensive efforts, the man had not been found at the time of going to press. His identity was being withheld awaiting further developments.
Crews Battle Boat Fire Near Philadelphia Pier
4/6/25 – Philadelphia, PA
Crews battled a boat fire near Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier on 6 April. Heavy black smoke could be seen coming from the area.
The fire broke out just after 11:35 a.m. near Philadelphia’s Race Street and Christopher Columbus Boulevard. Cherry Street Pier was evacuated as crews worked to extinguish the flames.
The fire was brought under control a short time later and the pier was reopened. Authorities did not report on what may have caused the fire.
Three Hurt After Boat Crashes into Channel Marker
4/4/25 – Miami, FL
Three people were hurt after a boat crashed into a channel marker in Florida’s Biscayne Bay, a witness said.
Miami Beach Police units and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to the scene of the crash near Sunset Islands on the afternoon of 4 April. Cellphone video shared with local news captured a damaged boat with FWC officials investigating the incident.
Soon after, Miami Beach Police officers and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to help. It was unclear at the time how many people were on the boat, but a witness said three people were injured.
Officials had not provided details on the crash.
Canoeists Rescued from Gator-Infested Florida Lake
4/7/25 – Citrus Co., FL
Two canoers were rescued after their boat sank in gator-infested Florida waters over the weekend of 5 to 6 April.
The Fire Rescue Department in Citrus County, Florida, said first responders were called to a possible sinking vessel on Floral City’s Lake Consuella. When crews arrived, they found two people clinging to the submerged canoe about 100 to 150 yards from shore.
Firefighters said they planned to swim life vests out to the pair but scrapped the plan when several large alligators surfaced nearby.
Pedal-Boat Rescue in Gator-Infested Waters
“Thinking quickly, firefighters located a small pedal boat at a nearby property and used it to reach the stranded individuals. At the same time, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies also found a pedal boat and assisted with the rescue,” Citrus County Fire Rescue said.
One person was taken to shore by CCSO, and the other was fitted with a life vest and brought in safely by the pedal boat. Both individuals declined further medical treatment.
One of the canoers told firefighters that they had been treading water for nearly an hour before help arrived. Once everyone was safe, firefighters retrieved the canoe.
Missing Sailboat Found Safe with 3 on Board
4/8/25 – Fire Island, NY
A missing vessel that had set sail from New Haven, Connecticut, was successfully located by a good Samaritan, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the “Hot Chocolate” was located disabled on the evening of 8 April “46 miles south of Fire Island,” off the coast of Long Island, New York. It was not immediately clear how the boat became disabled.
All three people aboard were safely rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the boat was on route to Orcacoke, North Carolina.
Florida Boaters Rescued After Sinking in Windy Conditions
4/8/25 – Matlacha, FL
Two boaters found themselves in a perilous situation when their boat began to sink in Florida’s Matlacha Pass, near Sword Pointe.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office crews responded quickly and safely to bring the men to shore. Capt. Chris Nyce of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit said deputies pulled the two men to safety just in time.
Hypothermia ‘Doesn’t Take Long’: Sheriff’s Office
“They were in the water for a little while, possibly hypothermic,” said Nyce. “With that wind and the cold temperatures, it doesn’t take long to get hypothermic.”
Capt. Jason Woldenden, who was out on the Matlacha Pass Tuesday, did not witness the rescue, but he experienced the challenging weather conditions. “It was very windy, so especially in those passes, you can get some pretty big waves and a lot of boaters going through them,” said Woldenden. According to meteorologist Matt Devitt, gusts reached 20 to 30 miles per hour during the incident.
“You catch a rogue wave, which is just, you know, a big wave that comes out of nowhere, or a boat wake, you know, something, and just a freak accident comes over, fills up the boat, and if you can’t get the boat back up she’s gonna start sinking,” said Woldenden.
Woldenden shared his best boating advice based on his own experiences in deep water. “First thing would be to try and speed it up, get that water a little bit out, and then run it up onto a beach, somewhere shallow where it’s not going to completely go under,” he said.
“Get your life jackets on, and then call the Coast Guard or 911, and they’ll be headed your way,” Woldenden added. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating what had caused the boat to sink.
One Rescued from Capsized Boat at Santa Cruz Beach
3/27/25 – Santa Cruz, CA
A small boat flipped over in Santa Cruz, California, on Twin Lakes State Beach on the afternoon of 27 March.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said one person was rescued from the boat once it flipped over. Santa Cruz Fire and Central Fire were also on the scene.
The boat remained there that night, and the Sheriff's Office said they had anchored it down and it would remain in place at least until the following morning.
Man Rescued from Sinking Boat on New York Lake
4/4/25 – Gorham, NY
One man was hospitalized after a boat capsized on Upstate New York’s Canandaigua Lake on the afternoon of 4 April.
The Ontario County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene in Gorham, New York, around 2 p.m., finding two of the three men who were onboard had safely made it to shore, while the other was clinging to the boat roughly 200 yards from land. The stranded person was rescued and taken to safety, according to authorities.
Investigators determined that the occupants were employees of Canandaigua Boatworks and were testing the functionality of the boat after completing mechanical repairs when they struck debris, believed to be a log, causing the vessel to capsize.
One of the men was taken to hospital for possible hypothermia, police said.
Boat Fire Sends Black Smoke over Baltimore Waterfront
4/5/25 – Baltimore, MD
A boat fire broke out on the morning of 5 April at Henderson’s Wharf Marina, in Baltimore, sending thick black smoke billowing over the city’s waterfront.
The fire broke out around 9:19 a.m., according to the Baltimore City Fire Department. Crews rushed to the scene, navigating the tight corridors of the historic marina, where boats are docked just steps from the Henderson’s Wharf Hotel. Firefighters quickly contained the flames to a single vessel.
No injuries were reported, and a dive team initially dispatched was later called off, according to Baltimore Fire Department spokesman John Marsh. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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