Accidents of the Week - August 2, 2025
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2 Children in Sailing Camp Die After Barge Hits Boat
7/28/25 – Miami, FL
Two children taking part in a summer sailing program were killed on 28 July when a barge hit the sailboat they were in with three other children and a camp counselor, throwing them into the water off Miami Beach, the authorities said. The children were participating in a sailing camp run by the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation, according to the Miami Yacht Club.
Divers and rescue boats from several agencies responded and pulled all six people from the water, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. Two children were taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where they died, according to Petty Officer Third Class Nicholas Strasburg, a Coast Guard spokesman.
In a statement later on Monday, the Coast Guard identified those victims as a 7-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl. Two other children — later identified as an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl — were brought to the hospital in critical condition, Petty Officer Strasburg said.
A fifth child was evaluated on the scene but did not go to the hospital, Lt. Pete Sanchez, a spokesman for the Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, said in an interview. The U.S. Coast Guard later identified that victim as a 12-year-old girl.
An adult woman who was working as a camp counselor on the boat was in stable condition and did not go to the hospital, Lieutenant Sanchez said. “She was obviously very shaken up about what happened,” he said. In its statement, the Coast Guard identified the adult victim as a 19-year-old woman.
The sailboat was carrying her and five children near Hibiscus Island in Biscayne Bay when it was hit by the barge, according to the commission, which cited preliminary information from a continuing investigation. Lieutenant Sanchez said the authorities received several calls about a boating accident at 11:16 a.m. Some of the calls reported a submerged vessel with missing occupants, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Crews Respond to Boat Fire on Illinois Lake
7/22/25 – Antioch, IL
A boat fire on Fox Lake in northwest suburban Antioch, Illinois, prompted an emergency response on the afternoon of 22 July, though officials report no one suffered any injuries.
Crews responded to the boat fire just after 1:30 p.m., where arriving firefighters encountered a fully engulfed boat about 200 yards offshore, according to Battalion Chief Ryan Keefe with the Antioch Fire Department. Crews worked for about an hour to fully extinguish the blaze.
Boater Reportedly Jumped Overboard for Safety
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the engine of a recently repaired boat caught fire. Video obtained by local news showed black smoke billowing from the boat, while unconfirmed reports suggest that someone jumped off the small vessel for safety.
The boat was a total loss, Keefe added. The cause of the fire remained under investigation by the Antioch Fire Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Department, and Illinois Conservation Police.
Coast Guard Rescues Child, 11, from Sinking Sailboat
7/23/25 – San Diego, CA
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a child from a sinking sailboat inside the San Diego Bay on the afternoon of 23 July.
"While on patrol, an Auxiliarist aboard a Coast Guard Aids-to-Navigation Team (ANT) 26-foot Trailerable Aids-to-Navigation Boat (TANB) heard a call for help," a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Crews with TANB pulled alongside the sailing vessel, deployed a life ring and brought an 11-year-old child aboard. They were also able to gain control of the sinking sailboat that had capsized, according to the release. The crew later took the sailboat in tow to a nearby pier on Shelter Island, where the vessel was dewatered.
The father of the child was nearby in a separate sailboat and met the ANT boat at the pier. Officials said that there were no injuries or medical concerns reported.
Ten Rescued After Boat Strikes Mangroves
7/26/25 – Key Largo, FL
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued nearly a dozen people in Key Largo, Florida, on 26 July after they said a 24-foot boat struck mangroves near Sunset Point and began to sink.
Authorities confirmed that 10 people were on board at the time of the incident. No major injuries were reported. They said efforts were underway to recover the vessel.
Boaters Missing After Crash on Niagara River
7/23/25 – Niagara Falls, NY
Two boaters were still missing after they crashed in the Niagara River on the night of 23 July.
New York State Park Police said the two missing boaters were believed to be Jerome Williams, 66, from Buffalo and Natalie Sansivero, 46, of Grand Island. Park Police say they received the call of an accident at approximately 9:40 p.m. near the restricted area of the river above Niagara Falls.
Multiple agencies immediately responded with marine units to assist in the search and initial investigation, including the New York State Park Police, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Coast Guard, Town of Tonawanda Police, City of Tonawanda Police, Grand Island Fire, and River Road Fire. Aerial support was also provided by aviation units from Erie and Niagara counties.
The damaged boat was recovered and towed by State Park Police for further investigation and accident reconstruction. Search efforts were suspended around 3 a.m. and were expected to resume the following morning.
Boat Explosion Leaves Several Injured
7/26/25 – Prescott, WI
A day at the docks turned dangerous on 26 July as a boat exploded at the Miss Croix Yacht Harbor fuel dock in Prescott, Wisconsin.
"We were sitting on the back of the boat and heard a loud bang," Steve Schiller, a boater from nearby Hastings, Minnesota, said. "Next thing you know, the boat is smoldering and people are jumping off the back of the boat and within five minutes it turned into big flames."
Multiple Individuals ‘Ejected’ into the River by Blast
Dramatic video taken by Schiller and other witnesses showed billowing plumes of smoke at the harbor, which sits exactly where the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers meet. There were hundreds of nearby vessels either docked at nearby marinas or traveling upstream and downstream.
According to investigators, the blast caused "multiple individuals" to be "ejected" into the river, while others were able to swim to the dock. They were all taken to the hospital, either by ambulance or in their own cars.
Sailing Camp Boaters Rescued from Choppy Waters
7/23/25 – Avalon, NJ
Ten boaters from a sailing camp were rescued off the coast of New Jersey after their engine died in choppy waters on 23 July.
Two instructors and eight students from a sailing camp in Avalon, New Jersey, needed to be saved after their boat engine died. Avalon Beach Patrol said the boat’s driver tried to turn around after determining the waters were too rough.
Rescue crews responded with a lifeboat from Avalon Yacht Club, paddle boards, and a jet-ski. No injuries were reported.
Yacht Crashes into Wall in Marina del Rey
7/26/25 – Marina Del Rey, CA
It was a frightening scene on the afternoon of 26 July in Marina del Rey, California, when a yacht struck a wall, startling diners inside a nearby restaurant. The captain of that yacht has since been called a hero by witnesses.
The yacht had reportedly experienced a mechanical failure prior to the crash, which occurred just before 3 p.m. in the harbor. Video from inside the restaurant showed the boat coming toward diners as they watched through the windows. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the boat was towed away shortly after the mishap.
Captain Rammed Concrete Barrier After Mechanical Failure
Eric Garcia, one of the witnesses who captured video of the crash, said he saw the yacht coming in hot, sailing straight into the wall. "I've never seen anything like this. I was shocked," Garcia said.
Los Angeles County firefighters who responded to the crash explained that the luxury vessel had a mechanical failure. When the captain couldn't get to the engine quickly enough to stop it, he intentionally rammed the boat into the concrete barrier.
"I mean, he's a hero. He went straight into the wall instead of crashing into any other boats, and he avoided contact with multiple people in the water," Garcia said.