Accidents of the Week - August 16, 2025
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Four People Rescued from Lake Erie After Boat Flipped
8/8/25 – Fairview, PA
The Coast Guard and local emergency services were called for rescue when a boat flipped in Lake Erie, stranding four people. The emergency call came in around 9:30 a.m. on 8 August, with the boat about 8 miles out from the shore of the Walnut Creek Marina access in Fairview, Pennsylvania.
“The back of the boat started filling up with some water. Apparently, the bilge pump quit working and we started looking at that, and then a wave hit us and just rolled the boat right over. Wow, like, real quick,” said Jerry Warner, who was rescued from the flipped boat.
An average fishing day for Jerry Warner and his four friends turned into something they had never experienced before. Warner, along with two others, was thrown into the water and hung onto the upside-down vessel until help arrived. Meanwhile, one of the fishermen got trapped underneath.
Around 11:15 a.m., the Coast Guard deployed dive teams and a helicopter to rescue the fourth person who was trapped under the overturned boat. “None of us had life jackets on. There’s life jackets in the boat and they were trapped under the boat and we’re outside of the boat,” Warner recalled.
‘Substantially Complex Operation’
Dive teams and a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard, along with fire companies from Erie, Lake City, Fuller Hose and Millcreek arrived to retrieve the fourth person. “They were able to maintain communication with the entrapped individual through pounding on the side of the hull,” said Gregory Purchase, assistant chief of the City of Erie Fire Department.
“This was a substantially complex operation.” Purchase said they even had a good Samaritan bring their rescue diver to the location, which was a great asset to them. All of those on board made it back to shore and did not sustain any injuries.
All four boaters were not only thankful they were alive, but also for the multiple crews that came together to rescue them out of the water.
Boat Erupts into Flames, One Injured
8/9/25 – Put-In-Bay, OH
One person was taken to the hospital after a boat was seen erupting into flames on the afternoon of 9 August, off the coast of Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
According to the United States Coast Guard, the boat fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m. One person jumped off the boat into the water and sustained burn injuries. He was rescued by a “good Samaritan,” the Coast Guard reported.
The injured person was taken by an air ambulance to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, the Coast Guard reported. The fire was eventually extinguished. No other people were on board. No other details were released at the time.
Man Dies After Getting Off Pontoon on Minnesota Lake
8/10/25 – Walker, MN
A North Dakota man died on 10 August while boating on Cass Lake, Minnesota.
Sheriff Bryan Welk reported that the Cass County Sheriff’s Office received 911 reports of a person in the water and not resurfacing on Cass Lake. Numerous law enforcement and rescue agencies responded to the lake and began to immediately search the area.
The investigation learned that 41-year-old Jon Koehmstedt of Grafton, North Dakota, exited a pontoon into Cass Lake to work on a boat motor problem and didn’t resurface. Juveniles on the boat attempted to throw the victim a life jacket, and the boat began to drift in high winds.
The boat was later intercepted by other boaters on the lake and the incident was reported to 911. Around 7:51 p.m., the victim was located in the water and recovered. The victim was not wearing a life vest at the time of the incident.
An autopsy was scheduled and the incident remained under investigation.
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Person Dies After Boat Capsizes Off Massachusetts Beach
8/9/25 – Hull, MA
A person died after being pulled unresponsive from the waters off Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts, on 9 August.
Massachusetts State Police said their marine unit and the U.S. Coast Guard were called in to investigate a capsized boat in the water around 11 a.m. Around noon, crews found a person in the water, unresponsive. They were treated on scene, including CPR.
Police confirmed the following day that the person had died. The individual was not publicly identified. Officials continued the search to find anyone else who may have been involved, though investigators had found no indication that anyone was missing.
USCG Launches Search After Spotting Debris in Water
Bill Oliver was out looking for lobster when he spotted the vessel. "I went over, and they were parts of the boat. The live wells." The lobsterman was about a mile offshore at 10 a.m. Saturday when he heard the Coast Guard on the radio. They were looking for a vessel after spotting debris in the water.
After a call from Oliver, the USCG found the front-end of the boat upside down around 11:20 a.m. off of Gunrock Beach.
South Carolina Boat Fire Leaves 1 Injured
8/11/25 – Horry Co., SC
Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) responded to a boat fire incident on the morning of 11 August in Little River, South Carolina.
Crews extinguished the flames, but the boat sustained significant damage. One person was transported to the hospital with injuries, and two nearby boats also sustained damage due to heat exposure from the fire. HCFR also said three people were displaced.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire, with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources assisting.
2 Missing from PWC Rescued in New York’s Lower Bay
8/11/25 – New York, NY
The Coast Guard, FDNY, and NYPD rescued 2 people on the morning of 11 August, after they were reported missing on a personal watercraft (PWC) in New York's Lower Bay.
A personal watercraft operator contacted Coast Guard Sector New York command center watchstanders around 1 a.m., reporting that a friend he had been riding with didn’t follow up letting him know he made it back to the marina as expected. His phone was going straight to voicemail and the friend had last reported that he was near the Verrazano Bridge around 8 p.m. on Sunday 11 August.
Coast Guard watchstanders dispatched a Coast Guard Station New York boat crew and issued an urgent marine information broadcast. Coast Guard watchstanders gathered cell phone data and worked with Elizabeth Police Department to conduct a wellness check at the missing person’s home, confirming with family that he had left earlier that day and had not returned.
Around 5:40 a.m., a good Samaritan notified Coast Guard watchstanders via VHF-FM channel 16 that they had located the missing PWC near Chapel Hill South Channel with no one aboard.
Coast Guard watchstanders diverted crews from Coast Guard Station New York and Sandy Hook and dispatched Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, NYPD aviation, and NYPD Harbor and FDNY Marine units to search the new location.
‘Incredibly Fortunate to Be Alive’
FDNY Marine 8 located a woman in the water around 7:30 a.m., Monday near Romer Shoal, who reported that she had been in the water since 8 p.m., Sunday. While transferring the woman to EMS ashore, FDNY located the personal watercraft operator on Great Kills Beach, Staten Island, around 7:50 a.m. Both individuals were transported by EMS to Staten Island University Hospital.
“These two people are incredibly fortunate to be alive,” said Rodger Krass, the Sector New York search and rescue mission coordinator for this case.
“Wearing life jackets and having a float plan directly saved their lives. This successful rescue is a testament to the strong partnerships between the Coast Guard, FDNY, NYPD, and our fellow mariners who responded to the call. The quick coordination and dedication of all involved were crucial in locating and rescuing these people after a long night in the water.”
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