Accidents of the Week - August 30, 2025
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Eight People Rescued After Boat Takes on Water
8/23/25 – Miami, FL
Eight passengers were successfully rescued from a boat in distress Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s (MDFR) on the afternoon of 23 August.
The U.S. Coast Guard had requested assistance after a 20-foot vessel was located 10 miles off Miami Beach, near 76 Street and Collins Avenue. The crew of Fireboat 21 found the boat low on fuel and taking on water due to rough seas.
All eight passengers were safely transferred and brought back to shore with no reported injuries.
Boat Abandoned, Deputies Search for Missing Person
8/24/25 – Anderson Co., SC
A search was underway after a boat was discovered abandoned in a South Carolina creek, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
At approximately 5:30 pm on 24 August, deputies responded to a call at South Carolina’s Sadlers Creek State Park regarding a boat circling in the water. Deputies said they believed the boat was occupied at one point.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was investigating the area, but details remained limited.
Person Rescued After PWC Capsizes in Lake Michigan
8/23/25 – South Haven, MI
A person on a personal watercraft (PWC) was rescued from Lake Michigan after capsizing on the afternoon of 23 August, according to South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) in South Haven, Michigan.
Four boaters were on Lake Michigan, each on their own PWC, when one flipped over in the lake’s high waves about two miles southwest of the South Haven lighthouse. The craft could not be righted and was taking on water, SHAES said. The rider was able to get on another PWC.
Red Flags Flying on Shoreline
Deputies with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office’s Marine Division were able to tow the overturned craft back to the harbor, where it was flipped and the water was removed. All PWC riders were escorted safely back to shore. A SHAES fireboat also responded.
At the time, red flags were flying on the shoreline and waves were reported as four to six feet high, according to SHAES.
Missing Boater's Body Found in Tennessee Lake
8/21/25 – Oak Ridge, TN
Search teams recovered the body of a boater who disappeared at Melton Hill Lake on 21 August, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) announced.
According to TWRA, a remotely operated vehicle found 53-year-old Kim Daugherty's body 21 feet underwater in Melton Hill Lake around 9:20 a.m. Friday. A Blount County dive team recovered his body.
TWRA said Daugherty's body was sent for an autopsy, and the incident remained under investigation. This was the 18th fatal boating incident in Tennessee this year, according to the agency.
Helicopter, Sonar, Underwater Drones Deployed in Search
Multiple agencies had been searching for a missing boater after receiving witness reports. According to TWRA, a man and woman launched a boat from the ramp early afternoon on 21 August. The boat had engine trouble, so the operator dropped the female passenger off at the ramp while he worked on the boat.
The woman said she later found the boat unoccupied after it drifted onto a sandbar downstream from the ramp.
Police said crews had deployed sonar and underwater drones to find the missing boater. A Knox County Sheriff's Office helicopter was also called to help search for the man.
Man Killed in Boating Accident in Barnegat Bay
8/24/25 – Ocean Co., NJ
Two men were thrown from a boat off Long Beach Island on 24 August, causing one of them to be killed, according to New Jersey State Police.
State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and members of the Beach Haven First Aid Squad responded to the scene of the accident around 10 a.m. It happened near Intercoastal Waterway buoy 116 off Little Egg Harbor, according to State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron. Karl Chen, 56, of Princeton was killed.
"Based on a preliminary investigation, a 27-foot Robalo vessel struck a large wake, causing both occupants to be ejected," Lebron explained. "The vessel then continued to circle and struck one of the occupants."
The other man was rescued by another nearby boat, and only suffered minor injuries.
1 Missing After Boat Capsizes Off Massachusetts Beach
8/23/25 – Salisbury Beach, MA
One person was rescued and one remained missing after a boat capsized off Salisbury Beach at the mouth of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts on 23 August.
Newburyport Police said the 47-foot boat had left the Salisbury Marina and began taking on water. Two people were on the boat, which later sank. One person was rescued by the United States Coast Guard and was medflighted to a Boston hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A second person, a man in his 50s, remained missing, according to Massachusetts State Police. The injured person was not identified at the time. Rescue and recovery efforts were paused that night due to the weather.
The United States Coast Guard assisted the Harbormaster and Newburyport Police and Fire departments in the rescue. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing also assisted in the search.
Boater Rescued After Sailboat Capsizes in Rough Surf
8/23/25 – York, ME
A boater had to be rescued after his sailboat capsized in rough surf off York, Maine, on the morning of 23 August.
The York Beach Fire Department said the harbormaster first called in around 8 a.m., reporting a sailboat in distress off Central Avenue. Because of the conditions, first responders could not launch a rescue boat and instead began to prepare from the shore.
During the response, the boat was capsized by a strong wave, knocking it into rocks. Rescue swimmers headed toward the boat and found the boater conscious and alert.
He was rescued from the vessel and taken to a local hospital. His exact condition was not immediately clear, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening, fire officials said. None of the rescuers were hurt.
A red flag warning was in effect for all beaches in the area at the time of the rescue.
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