Accidents of the Week - December 16, 2023
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.
Sailboat Runs Aground, Three Rescued by Firefighters
12/6/23 – Plymouth, MA
Three people whose boat ran aground were rescued on the morning of 6 December by the fire department in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Firefighters responded to the area of 92 Center Hill Road after getting 911 calls about a sailboat that appeared to be in distress. Firefighters with wetsuits leaped into action about 100 feet offshore to help two men and a woman, the department said.
No one was injured, according to fire officials. All three members were transported to hospital care to be evaluated. The department said the 40-foot sailboat had set sail from Boston.
Missing Kayaker's Remains Found in Colorado Lake
12/3/23 – Grand Co., CO
A 21-year-old man's body was found after he went missing in Colorado when his kayak capsized in Lake Granby over the weekend of 2 and 3 December.
The sheriff’s office in Grand County, Colorado, said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on 3 December that they had received a 911 call around 6:45 a.m. local time, reporting that there was a male in the water near Deer Island. The authorities were unable to conduct a thorough search at the time due to "heavy winds and choppy waters," according to the sheriff's office's press release.
Kayaker’s Body Retrieved with Underwater Drone
The following day, at approximately 7:30 p.m. responders located the man's remains on the lake bed. The authorities then retrieved the deceased's body with the use of an underwater remote-operated vehicle (ROV), according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
The kayaker's body was then placed in the care of the Grand County Coroner’s Office, and the deceased's family arrived in Colorado following the discovery. The coroner's office announced that it would release the deceased's identity and his cause and manner of death at a later time.
Work Crew Rescues Drowning Man from New Hampshire Lake
12/1/23 – Alton, NH
A man who was allegedly drowning after his jet ski started to sink in New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee was saved by workers with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
Shawn Cullen and his co-workers showed up to work on 30 November to remove an old dock from the shoreline near Lake Winnipesaukee. Cullen said that during the workday, the crew heard someone in the water crying out for help.
“We were just having fun, when all of a sudden we see this jet ski, which was kind of funny to us, so I started taking a video of it. Little did I know that two minutes later, it would be blood-curling screams,” Cullen said. Cullen added that the screams were so loud, he could hear them over the sounds of traffic.
Jet Skier Not Wearing PFD
As he witnessed the jet ski start to sink, he ran toward the dock’s edge, called 911 and yelled at the man to keep swimming. “You could see the expression on his face. He just wanted to not die,” Cullen said.
While Cullen stood at the dock’s edge, other rescuers ran to the Sandy Point Beach Resort, grabbed a kayak and canoe, and headed toward the man who was allegedly not wearing a life vest. Cullen said the man was drowning, but he somehow managed to grab onto the rescuer’s kayak. “He was holding on at the point, but I’m surprised he could. It was cold,” Cullen said. “The look in the guy’s face was just blue. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Cullen explained that the man was paddled to shore and was unresponsive moments before being put on a stretcher and treated by EMS crews, who arrived 12 minutes after the 911 call was made. Cullen said once the man was conscious, first responders could finally breathe.
Boaters Rescued After Small Vessel Sinks off Beach in San Francisco
11/30/23 – San Francisco, CA
Two boaters were pulled from the water on the afternoon of 30 November when their small vessel capsized and sank off Baker Beach in San Francisco, California, according to fire officials.
San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) said they received their first call about the incident just before 12 p.m., with the caller reporting that a boat could be seen taking on water. Crews arrived at Baker Beach and saw the sinking 50-foot boat about 200 yards offshore. Three rescue swimmers entered the water and swam to the vessel with rescue boards.
Rescuers found the boaters who had been ejected from the vessel, made contact and assisted them onto rescue boards. The rescue swimmers pulled the victims to a nearby San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) boat that had also responded to the incident and helped get them onto the police boat. The SFPD boat took the victims to the San Francisco Marina Yacht Harbor, where they were evaluated by SFFD paramedics.
Fire officials explained that the vessel would need to be salvaged from where it sank.
In ‘Incredible Save’, Crews Rescue Man Thrown from Boat into River
12/5/23 – Monroe, WA
In what firefighters described as an “incredible save,” first responders in Monroe, Washington, rescued a man from the Snohomish River.
At 6:34 p.m. on 5 December, Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue crews responded to a report of a man in a small boat heading down a raging Skykomish River near Monroe’s 187th
Avenue Southeast and 175th Place Southeast. As he went down the river, the man was able to call 911 and remain on the line with dispatchers to keep them updated on his location. Given the darkness, raging river conditions and limited access, it was too dangerous for crews to launch a boat. Instead, rescuers went downriver to the State Route 522 overpass over the Snohomish River, hoping the man would be able to grab a rope.
The Washington State Patrol closed the highway to allow firefighters to work. Crews with Snohomish Fire District 4 were also staged farther downriver. Next, a drone was launched during a downpour to view the boat’s location. The drone showed that the man was in a small aluminum boat with no oars.
By that time, the man had passed the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers and was in the Snohomish River heading toward SR 522. Crews then got into position at the base of SR 522 overpass and helped guide firefighters above the river as to where to throw the rope. At the same time, emergency dispatchers were telling the man in the boat what to do when he reached the overpass.
When a firefighter tossed the rope, it landed in the boat, but when the man grabbed it, he stood up. This caused the boat to turn 180 degrees with the transom of the boat facing the raging current.
“The power of the river ripped the boat from under the man, tossing him out of the boat and into the river filled with large tree debris and heavy currents,” SRFR wrote in a Facebook post.
The man started to swim to shore just west of SR 522, where he was able to cling to a tree in the river. At 7:40 p.m., crews slashed their way through thick blackberry bushes and the man was pulled to safety. The shoeless man was able to walk to a nearby medic unit and was taken to a hospital.
“From the first reported location to the spot firefighters rescued him is approximately 4 miles. The man was in the over an hour in the river. Twenty-three members from SRFR, SCFD53, SCFD4, and the Sheriff’s office were on scene,” SRFR said.
Paddleboarder Rescued from Cold Lake After Good Samaritan Alerts Rescuers
12/6/23 – Friant, CA
A man endured a bone-chilling experience (literally) after falling off his paddleboard into Millerton Lake in Friant, California.
A good Samaritan was at the lake on 6 December when they saw a man fall off his board around 3:15 p.m. It was reported that the man tried swimming to shore but the strong wind stopped him from doing so. Boat patrol was able to pull the man out of the water after enduring bone-chilling conditions for about 10-15 minutes.
The paddleboarder, who was said to be a frequent visitor at Millerton Lake, was wearing a life jacket. He was expected to make a full recovery from the experience.
Firefighters Douse Boat Blaze at New Jersey Marina
12/7/23 – Brick, NJ
Fire crews doused an early-morning blaze that broke out on a boat docked in the water at Baywood Marina in Brick, New Jersey, on 7 December, according to first responders.
No injuries were reported, and firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to the dock, reported the Pioneer Hose Volunteer Fire Company #1. Emergency crews got a call around 4:46 a.m. for a boat fire, with firefighters from Brick's District 1 and District 2 responding. Drone video posted by Jersey Shore Fire Response showed smoke billowing from the approximately 30-foot vessel, with flames spreading.
Crews quickly suppressed the fire to keep approaching flames from reaching the dock. The East Dover Fire Company responded with a fire boat, staying on scene for about an hour to help Brick firefighters knock down flames in the bow of the vessel. "Crews arrived back at dock with the sunrise in tow," East Dover firefighters said in a Facebook post.
Breton Woods Fire Company #1, Laurelton Fire Company #1, and the Brick Township Fire Department also responded, according to the report from Pioneer Hose Company #1. The Brick Township Fire Bureau and the New Jersey State Police marine unit were set to investigate the blaze, officials said.
Man’s Body Found Near Abandoned Boat off Santa Barbara Coast
11/26/23 – Santa Barbara, CA
The body of a dead man was located early morning on 26 November by a combined search party executed by the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard. The man was found floating a few miles away from his sailboat, the Escapade -- registered to an owner in Los Angeles -- which was anchored about a mile south of Leadbetter Point.
Even with a near full moon, the pre-dawn morning was dark, and the sea was vast. “It was definitely a needle-in-the-haystack situation,” said Nathan Alldredge, patrol supervisor for Harbor Patrol.
The Harbor Patrol had been alerted that there was an apparently unmanned vessel off the coast with its sails full. The boat was searched after several efforts to rouse any possible occupants went for naught.
Alldredge declined to release the decedent’s name pending notification of next of kin by the county coroner’s office. There was no immediate evidence of violence or foul play, he said.