Accidents of the Week - December 13, 2025
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Boat Explodes at Lake of the Ozarks
11/20/25 – Lake Ozark, MO
Crews responded to a reported boat fire at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, on 20 November.
The Lake Ozark Fire Protection District was dispatched to a reported explosion involving a boat and a dock on fire at the 3.5-mile marker. Upon arrival, the boat was found in a cove heavily involved in flames, and the person driving the boat was rescued by a passing vessel.
Video shared by an eyewitness showed a tall smoke stack coming from the fire as it evolved. Firefighters with the Rocky Mount Fire Protection District used Fire Rescue Boats to help extinguish the fire.
12-Foot Boat Sinks Stranding 2 Boaters Offshore
11/22/25 – Hawaii Kai, HI
Two boaters were left stranded in the waters off of Honolulu’s Hanauma Bay after their boat sank on the afternoon of 22 November.
Two men, one aged 55 and another in his 20s, were in a 12-foot boat in the waters outside of Hanauma Bay when it was swamped by a large wave. All of the water that entered the boat caused it to sink and left the two men without their vehicle.
The man in his 20s was able to swim to shore where he climbed up a cliffside and called 911 for help. However, the 55-year-old man drifted west.
Man, 55, Rescued by Good Samaritan on PWC
The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 4:06 p.m. and began to search for the distressed swimmers at the shoreline about 20 minutes later. The other man was eventually located and rescued by someone on a jet ski.
The jet ski then took him to an HFD rescue boat for further care. HFD took him to the harbor at Maunalua Bay where Honolulu Emergency Medical Services (EMS) evaluated him for medical treatment.
EMS treated the 55-year-old man who suffered possible fatigue, hypothermia and a cut on his foot, but he declined to be taken to an emergency room. There were no injuries reported from the other boater.
Two Boaters Saved on Lake Pontchartrain
11/21/25 - St John the Baptist Parish, LA
Two men were rescued on Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain on the morning of 21 November, after waves on the choppy waters overwhelmed their boat and made it sink, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Coast Guard notified the Sheriff’s Office about the sunken boat before 8:30 a.m., and they were located by a search and rescue team about a half-mile south of the Peavine Boat Launch in LaPlace.
The men, one 18 and the other 65, were holding onto the sunken boat’s rigging at the time of their rescue, according to the Sheriff’s Office. They were picking up shrimp nets when their boat started to go down.
The two were uninjured and returned safely to shore, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
4 Men Found Safe After Boat Capsizes Off Florida Coast
11/25/25 – Tampa, FL
Coast Guard officials located a missing boat and its four occupants on the morning of 25 November, about 24 hours after the boaters left dock.
All were found alive and relatively safe. The four men, all family members, range in age from 18 to 90. Officials confirmed Dennis Woods, 70; Clarence Woods, 90; Cris Harding Sr., 42; and Cris Harding Jr., 18 were all safe.
According to officials, the capsized boat was located 26 miles offshore from Clearwater, Florida. The men were brought back to shore by Coast Guard officials.
Relatives Alerted Police After Boaters Failed to Return
Coast Guard rescuers started searching on the night of 24 November, after the men failed to return from a fishing trip, and resumed their efforts at daybreak the following morning.
The four men from Mulberry in Polk County, Florida, left from the Seminole Street Boat Ramp at about 9:30 a.m. in a 25-foot green-and-white catamaran called "Money Well Wasted." They were supposed to return at about 4 p.m., according to family members.
Relatives became concerned when they hadn’t returned and contacted the Clearwater Police Department just before 8:30 p.m. on Monday. Officers found the truck and trailer still at the boat ramp, with no sign of the boat or boaters.
Man Rescues Boater from Frigid Columbia River Waters
11/18/25 – Hayden Island, OR
The quick actions of a local man saved the life of a boater struggling in the frigid waters of the Columbia River off Portland, Oregon.
On 18 November, Solomon Florea was home when he says he saw an empty sailboat floating on the Columbia River near Hayden Island. Florea then spotted a man bobbing in the water near the boat.
Acting quickly, Florea kayaked to the man and pulled him from the water. He paddled back to shore with the man and once there he wrapped him in layers to restore his body temperature. Florea then made a call to 911.
The patient was extremely cold and disoriented, but awake. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office river patrol unit estimated the water temperature that day was around 57 degrees. Florea calmly and compassionately reassured the patient that help would arrive soon.
“I’m just doing what I would do as a proper, decent human, you know,” Florea said. “So, I think just calming him down and making sure he knows he’s not alone, it’s okay, it’s probably a bad dream, it’s ok.”
Boater Unable to Rescue Himself Despite PFD, Whistle, Cellphone
The sheriff’s office says Florea’s knowledge of the local geography on Hayden Island greatly helped rescue crews find them.
The person Solomon rescued reportedly had the appropriate boating and water safety equipment, including a floatation device, whistle and cellphone, but still could not rescue himself. The rescued boater was said to be recovering at home.
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