Accidents of the Week - August 17, 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.

Boatyard Blaze Contained by Firefighters’ Efforts

8/8/24 – St Lucie Co., FL

Firefighters battled a blaze at a boat yard in St. Lucie County, Florida, for more than an hour early morning on 8 August. Their efforts were rewarded when the heavy smoke and flames were contained, and the firefighters saw the fire was extinguished before it could spread to nearby boats.

According to the St. Lucie County Fire District, the first fire crews were called to the scene around 3:45 a.m. When they arrived, they found one large boat was already ablaze – and surrounded by smaller boats. Substantial flames were tearing through the hull as crews worked to get them under control.

Small Dock Obstructed Firefighters’ Efforts

The fire district noted that the small dock and trying to work in the middle of the night offered even more obstacles to their efforts. The fire was under control by 5:15 p.m. and before the flames could spread. Pictures shared by the fire department showed significant damage to the boat.

No injuries were reported in the incident, and investigators were still working to determine the cause of the fire.

Coast Guard Helps Sailor, 82, Move Vessel as Tropical Storm Approaches

8/6/24 – Charleston, SC

A Coast Guard Station Charleston boat crew assisted an 82-year-old man aboard a disabled sailing vessel near Shipyard Creek, South Carolina, on 6 August. The boat crew successfully helped the man raise the vessel’s anchor and move it to North Charleston’s Cooper River Marina, prior to the arrival of Tropical Storm Debby.

Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a notification at 7:45 a.m. from the insurance company of a 32-foot sailing vessel, stating the owner needed to relocate his vessel to a safe haven but was unable to do so, due to engine problems and difficulty raising the anchor on his own.

The vessel had a large hole in its side from a previous incident, the man also reported, and water was entering due to increased rainfall from the storm. No injuries were reported.

Engineer Dies in California Kayaking Accident

8/3/24 – Pacifica, CA

A kayaking accident claimed the life of a Bay Area engineer near Pacifica, California, over the weekend of 3 to 4 August.

The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Zongde Qiu, a 45-year-old Cupertino resident. According to a GoFundMe page, Qiu was fishing in the ocean off the Pacifica coast on 3 August before he fell off his kayak.

Qiu was not able to get back into the kayak “for some unknown reason” after the fall, Tong Gao, a friend of Qiu’s, wrote on GoFundMe. Qiu was found by surfers, but medical personnel were not able to revive him after he was rushed to the hospital, Gao wrote.

The Pacifica Police Department and North County Fire Authority did not respond to requests from local reporters for more information about Qiu’s death.

Boat Collision on Oregon River Under Investigation

8/4/24 – Grants Pass, OR

Just before a speedboat crash on Oregon’s Rogue River on 4 August, Hellgate Jetboat passenger Mitch Ruis took the image above of the other boat taking a sharp turn.

In his statement to local reporters, Ruis said that he counted six people in the water immediately after the crash. He was recording the ride on his GoPro and said he stopped recording because he needed to count heads for who was in the boat and in the water.

"We had two more Hellgate jet boats immediately behind us as we were on the way up river from the OK corral brunch," Ruis said in his full statement. "I counted six in the water and confirmed after finally finding the small boat captain that he had six on board. I immediately yelled back to our Boat captain to radio back to his partner Hellgate boats that they had six souls in the water coming his way. After that, the only thing we could do was check the worthiness of our vessel and get the injuries back up to Hellgate jet boat headquarters."

The sunken boat, owned by Mitchell Johnson, was recovered from the Rogue River at around 3:15 P.M on 5 August.

Three of the passengers on Johnsons private boat remained in the hospital, two of them not facing serious injury. Johnson's wife was undergoing surgery following internal bleeding and broken ribs from the crash.

Fire Breaks Out at Texas Marina, Boat Destroyed

8/7/24 – Belton, TX

Firefighters from multiple departments responded to a boat fire at the Stillhouse Hollow Marina in Belton, Texas.

Photos from the scene showed smoke coming from a boat and a part of the marina. Full details on what started the fire were unknown, but officials said a fire began on a boat in the marina at around 7:15 a.m. on 7 August, and then spread to the main structure of the facility.

The Belton Fire Department, State Fire Marshal, Bell County Fire Department, Belton Police Department, and multiple other first responding agencies were on scene assisting with the incident.

Officials said they were still investigating the incident and asked those in the area to avoid the marina while cleanup efforts went ahead.

One Person Missing After Boat Crash on Florida River

8/7/24 – Venice, FL

One person was missing after a boat crash on the Myakka River in Sarasota County, Florida, on 7 August, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

FWC personnel responded around 11:10 a.m. to reports that a boat crashed into a personal watercraft (PWC) just north of Border Road in Venice. Investigators said three people on board a "jon boat" had crashed into someone on a personal watercraft along the river.

All three people on the boat were uninjured, while the search for the missing personal watercraft driver was ongoing.

Air National Guard Rescues Paddle Boarders in Alaska

8/6/24 – Trapper Creek, AK

Alaska Air National Guard members of 176th Wing rescued four distressed paddle boarders on 6 August near Byers Lake, about 110 miles north of Anchorage. The boarders had sent an SOS signal using a newer cellphone with embedded satellite transceiver.

The Alaska State Troopers requested assistance from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, who then requested help from the 176th Wing’s 210th Rescue Squadron helicopter with 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angels onboard.

Boarders Fell into Icy Alaska Waters

The helicopter crew located the group and hoisted them to safety before assessing the four individuals, who were cold and wet having after accidentally venturing down a creek flowing out of Byer’s Lake and falling into the water.

The helicopter transported the survivors to the Byers Lake Campground where they were released to Alaska State Troopers.