Accidents of the Week - April 6, 2024

BoatTEST publishes “Accidents of the Week” as a public service for our VIP Subscribers to acquaint them with potential boating dangers and by inference their prevention.

Coast Guard Rescues Boater from Life Raft in Caribbean

3/24/24 – Guanica, PR

A US Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a boater from a life raft early on 24 March, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Guanica, Puerto Rico.

Keith Mcpartlan, 42, a US citizen from Florida, was the sole passenger aboard the 48-foot pleasure craft Solamar transiting off Puerto Rico. The man reportedly abandoned the vessel onto a life raft out of concern that the vessel was in danger of capsizing.

According to reports, Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received an alert via US Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking Saturday morning from the pleasure craft Solamar, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Guayama, Puerto Rico. 

Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Jayhawk from Air Station Borinquen and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos to search. They also issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and notified Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action and Customs and Border Protection of a potential distress situation.

Vessel Located with Nobody on Board

Radio communication was established with Mcpartlan, who relayed to be experiencing issues with his navigation equipment and that he was disoriented. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos located the vessel Solamar early Sunday morning going in circles, with no energized navigation lights and nobody onboard.

As search efforts continued, the Coast Guard aircrew located a life raft at approximately 9:30 am Sunday and lowered their rescue swimmer who confirmed there was a person alive aboard the raft. The Coast Guard aircrew safely hoisted the man aboard the aircraft, who was confirmed to be Mcpartlan.

Following the rescue, the Coast Guard aircrew transported Mcpartlan to the Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Boat Catches Fire Along Intracoastal Waterway

3/26/24 – Tampa, FL

A small boat caught fire while traveling down the intracoastal waterway in Venice, Florida, on 26 March.

Officials were called to the water behind the 200 block of Venice’s Rio Terra at 10 a.m. The owner of the boat was rescued and taken to safety at the Marina Park Boat Ramp near the Venice Train Depot. No one was hurt in the incident.

Venice officials said the 20 to 25-foot cuddy cabin became fully engulfed in flames before fire crews extinguished it. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Two Hospitalized After Boat Crash in Florida’s Seminole County

3/24/24 – Sanford, FL

Nearly 10 people were involved in a boat crash in Seminole County, Florida, on 24 March.

According to officials with Seminole County Fire Rescue (SCFR), officials responded to a water rescue call at Cameron Wright Park around 6:38 p.m. Officials said two boats had collided on the water while navigating a bend. The incident occurred at the north end of Lake Jesup, east of the Orlando Sanford Airport.

"I'm down the river a little bit, there has been a collision, he cut the corner too sharp, and I hit him," a caller said on a 911 call released by officials. There were eight people involved between the two boats, officials said.

Boaters Hospitalized with Injured Ribs, Back

SCFR said two people had suffered injuries and were transported to a local hospital, including one trauma alert. The 911 calls indicated that a man had a back injury and a teenage girl had issues with her ribs. "The passenger on one boat was thrown out," another 911 caller said.

At 7:30 p.m., SCFR started working on bringing all the uninjured passengers ashore. While SCFR responded to the medical emergency, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced an investigation into what had led up to the collision. The fire department added that one victim had needed advanced life support.

Boater Located in Search Operation After Swimming to Shore

3/23/24 – Denver, CO

Agencies responded to a water rescue on the evening of 23 March, including Denver’s South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The boater was located alive and safe on land that same evening, after safely swimming to shore and contacting authorities, according to SMFR. South Metro Fire said drones had assisted with the search.

SMFR was at the park the following day to retrieve the boat.

One Rescued, One Missing After 2 Personal Watercraft Capsize

3/28/24 – Anchor Bay, MI

A man remained missing after he and a friend fell from their personal watercraft in Lake St. Clair’s Anchor Bay, in Michigan, authorities said late on 28 March.

Jonathan Kloss, 21, of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, had been missing since 8:45 p.m., according to police. His friend, 19-year-old Hunter Lentine of the neighboring New Baltimore, was rescued from the water after residents on shore heard his cries for help and pointed first responders his way in the water.

According to Chesterfield Township police Sgt. Ken Anderson, the two were riding their personal watercraft out into the lake from a boat launch at New Baltimore’s Brandenburg Park on Jefferson Avenue, south of 23 Mile Road. “The jet skis were located capsized and floating in Anchor bay off Brandenburg Park,” police said in a news release.

The two men reportedly were not wearing personal flotation devices when they were tossed into the freezing water.

Coast Guard Rescues Stranded Boaters from Louisiana Marshlands

3/22/24 – New Orleans, LA

Two boaters were safely transported back to shore on Friday, 22 March, with the help of a US Coast Guard rescue helicopter and two boat crews, after being stranded in Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain area.

The helicopter and boat crews were deployed after the Coast Guard and Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office were notified of the two overdue boaters who had set out on an 18-foot flat-bottom boat. Footage released by the USCG showed the helicopter locating the distressed boaters using thermal imaging, before a rescue swimmer was winched down into the marshland to assist them.

The swimmer was seen guiding the two stranded boaters from their “disabled vessel” to a waiting rescue boat. “The boaters were last reported to be in stable condition,” the US Coast Guard said.