Accidents of the Week - August 9, 2025
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Coast Guard Rescues 3 People on Lake Erie
7/31/25 – Detroit, MI
A Detroit Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued three people from Lake Erie’s Middle Bass Island off Ontario, Canada, on 31 July, the Coast Guard said.
All three people were in stable condition after being transported to shore, the Coast Guard said. The Detroit based Coast Guard said it received an initial notification at 12:13 a.m. that a 29-foot sailing vessel ran aground in Lake Erie with three people aboard. The Coast Guard then issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched Station Marblehead’s Response Boat.
The helicopter crew arrived at the scene, deployed a rescue swimmer who assessed the situation before hoisting all three individuals into the helicopter. The air station MH-65 Dolphin transported the individuals to Port Clinton, Ohio.
One Person Hospitalized After Boating Accident
7/30/25 – Spencer Co., KY
A person was injured in a boating incident that happened on Taylorsville Lake in Spencer County, Kentucky on 30 July.
In a post on social media, the Taylorsville-Spencer County Fire Protection District said firefighters were on the scene of the accident around 8 p.m. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transported the person to the hospital for treatment. Other agencies that responded include the Spencer County EMS, the Spencer County Sheriff's Office, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The person's condition was unknown at the time of reporting and no other information was available.
Man's Leg Nearly Severed in PWC Crash
7/17/25 – Idaho Falls, ID
A man's leg was nearly severed in a serious PWC (personal watercraft) crash on Idaho’s Snake River.
Justin Cummins of Ammon, Idaho, was with his friends on 17 July in the Wolf Flats campground area near Ririe, located about 17 miles northeast of Idaho Falls. The accident happened after 8 p.m.
"I was tuning a Jet Ski for a guy I know, and he was out there, too, on another friend's Jet Ski with him. The Jet Ski I was tuning had died," Cummins said. "I was just trying to get it going again. My buddy didn't see me, and I didn't see him. They were zooming around, coming around a corner, and they went to turn out of the way, and at the last minute, the steering broke."
They collided with Cummins, and the impact caused injuries to his left leg. "It was a complete accident," Cummins said. "I remember crawling back up onto the Jet Ski, knowing that something was not right because I couldn't use my leg at all."
At first, he was shocked and didn't feel pain. "I got out of the water and noticed that, yeah, it (my leg) was definitely in two pieces because there were pieces of bone missing and there was bone sticking out," he told local reporters.
Swift Action by 1st Responders and Surgeons Saved the Leg.
911 was called, and he was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. His leg was held on by just a small amount of muscle and one tendon. "Once I woke up in the hospital, it was extraordinarily painful," Cummins said.
He was rushed into surgery that night, and it lasted into the next morning. "They had to insert a rod to repair the tibia and had to plate the fibula. The nerves were non-repairable, and the tendon was severely damaged," said Jaymie Cummins, Justin's wife.
Due to the emergency responders and surgeons who acted quickly, his leg was saved.
Boater Rescued from Marsh by Sheriff’s Deputies
7/29/25 – St. Tammany Parish, LA
A man was safe after being rescued from a marsh in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, on 29 July.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (STPSO) was alerted of a missing 70-year-old man on Tuesday 29 July. His family told deputies that he had not returned home after a crabbing trip and had not been heard from since 10 a.m. By 5 p.m., they began the search with the help of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and U.S. Coast Guard.
Partially Paralyzed Man Spent 9 Hours in Water
While describing his usual launch point and route, the family told deputies that the man was partially paralyzed on his left side due to a previous medical condition. STPSO Sgt. Chuck White and Deputy John Hrabley followed the trail to find his boat partially submerged in the marsh. The boater was found in the water, alone, exhausted and without a phone, which fell into the water.
He was reportedly in the water for about nine hours due to his medical condition. He explained that his engine failed. White and Hrabley rescued the man and turned him over to medical personnel who evaluated and brought him home that night.
Man Dies After Recreational Boat Hits Barge
7/29/25 – Orange, TX
A 37-year-old man from Pearland, Texas, died on the evening of 29 July after the recreational boat he was operating crashed into a commercial barge on the Sabine River in Orange County.
The fatal collision happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 29 July, on the Sabine River/Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, approximately halfway between Cow Bayou and Adams Bayou in Orange County, according to a news release from Texas Game Wardens.
The operator of a 25-foot bay boat, David Mitchell Besser, 37, of Pearland, crashed into the front of the commercial barge as it traveled along the waterway. According to Orange County Justice of the Peace Chad Jenkins, the boat's lone occupant was pronounced dead at the scene. Jenkins ordered an inquest into the death.
Multiple agencies responded to the accident, including Texas Game Wardens, the Orange County Sheriff's Department Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard was set to lead the investigation because the crash involved a commercial vessel, according to the release.
Person Burned, Injured in Boat Explosion
7/29/25 – Naples, ME
Heavy smoke was seen billowing from a burning pier on Louisiana’s False River on the afternoon of 19 May.
The Sheriff’s Office in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, reported that the 10,000 block of Island Road had been shut down while emergency crews responded to the fire.
A boat was also spotted burning on the river with flames and smoke reaching into the air.
Student Dies While Hanging Out on Orlando Lake
5/14/25 – Orange Co., FL
Authorities said a boat explosion at a dock on Maine’s Sebago Lake left one person injured and caused fire damage to multiple boats and docks. Fire Chief Justin Cox of Naples, Maine, said the department responded to Turtle Lane in Naples on 29 July after receiving reports of an explosion with injuries near Turtle Cove.
First responders found one person suffering from burns and other injuries. That person was transported to an area hospital. Cox did not provide any details about the severity of the person's injuries.
Drifting Boat Set Fire to Docks, 2nd Vessel
Cox said the resulting fire burned the dock lines off, which allowed the boat to drift to the other side of the channel. The burning boat then got stuck on another boat, causing the second vessel and two nearby docks to catch fire, according to Cox. Fire crews then responded to the end of Bayou Road, where they were able to secure the floating boat and begin suppressing the fire.
Gasoline and oil began leaking from the two burning boats, Cox said, so the Maine Department of Environmental Protection was called in. Oil-absorbent booms were placed around both boats and in the channel to prevent further spread of the fuel. The Maine Warden Service also responded to the scene, according to Cox.
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