Accidents of the Week - February 22, 2025

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.

Water Taxi Crashes into Parked Boat in Fort Lauderdale

2/7/25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL

A water taxi crashed into a parked boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after it experienced a mechanical issue, the water taxi company’s president said.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to the crash on the night of 7 February. Officials said the incident led to minor damage to both boats. Passengers reacted to the bumpy ride.

“It was very, very, very scary. As soon as we left the dock, we started to hear all this noise, and he started to hit boats as we came down the river, ‘bang, bang, bang,'” said Peggy Seckular. “He told us to brace ourselves because he was going to hit into here. So everybody held on, and we smashed into the dock over here.”

“It was very scary. We’ve lived here 45 years; never have we ever had any type of accident on the ocean or Intracoastal,” said another passenger. “It’s nobody’s fault. Stuff like this happens, and nobody got hurt.”

Crash Caused by ‘Mechanical Issue’

The private company told local reporters that it had been an unpleasant ride for their customers. “Unfortunately, one of our vessels tonight had a mechanical issue that ended up affecting its steering,” said Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi President Greg Farley.

Passengers on the water taxi were disembarked onto a water shuttle. “We love our guests. Our favorite part of our water taxis is the people that we get to host and entertain every day. Like I said, this isn’t something that happens often -- or ever -- with us, but it is something that we do prepare for and train for,” said Farley, “so the crew jumped right on things and took the necessary steps to ensure everyone’s safety, until we were able to get them off the vessel.”

Despite being filled with passengers, no injuries were reported.

Boaters Save Man’s Life After Accident on Bayou

1/24/25 – Lacassine, LA

It was seemingly another morning of boating on 24 January for Tyler Broussard, his son, and his son’s friend on Louisiana’s Lacassine Bayou.

Around 7:38 a.m., the three were in their duck blind when they saw another hunter getting out of his blind to enter his boat, about 100 yards away from them. “All of a sudden we heard a loud noise and we looked over and saw the boat made a sharp turn like two circles,” said Tyler Broussard.

“We heard ‘help’ three times out loud. The boys looked at me and I looked at them. I’m like, ‘Yep,’ unhooked the boat, got out of the blind, went over there, and saw a boater in the water screaming for help. He cut his leg, he needed 911.”

Broussard and the boys pulled the injured hunter into the boat and while they were about five miles away from the landing, his son Jaxson Meche and his son’s friend Bau Hixon had to act fast, so the hunter wouldn’t lose his leg and bleed out.

Hunter’s Son, 13, Used Belt for Makeshift Tourniquet

“First I had a life jacket around his leg but it wasn’t tight, so then the only thing I thought of was I was the only one that had a belt on so I wrapped it around his leg and tightened it,” said Meche. Knowing it was a critical situation, Meche, who is only 13 years old, made a makeshift tourniquet with his belt.

“So, all I did was this... around and did that, then I did it to the tightest one and I just did it like that. I held it while we were going to the boat dock,” said Meche.

While Broussard was rushing the boat to the landing and Meche was holding the tourniquet, Hixon made the call to 911 while keeping the hunter as comfortable as possible. When they finally made it to the boat landing, they waited for 13 minutes until first responders arrived.

“I’m just glad we were able to save a life. It’s just still touching to this day. I can still see it how the whole situation played out was amazing,” said Broussard. If it wasn’t for their quick reactions, the man would’ve lost his leg or even worse - his life. The hunter wished to remain anonymous but said he was in stable condition and very grateful for the boaters who had saved his life.

Man Rescued After Kayak Flips in Reservoir

2/8/25 – Lexington, KY

A kayaker who lost his balance and fell into the water at the Jacobson Park reservoir in Lexington, Kentucky, was rescued by the Lexington Fire Department late afternoon on 8 February.

The man was about 150 yards from shore but was able to stand up in the water and hold onto the kayak while a bystander on shore called 911, according to the fire department.

The wind and high water levels contributed to the man’s difficulty in getting back to shore, the fire department said in a statement. Emergency services were called at 5:31 p.m. and “a full water rescue response” was deployed, according to the statement.

The man was not in distress and chose not to go to the hospital after medics at the scene evaluated him.

Three People Hospitalized After Boating Accident

2/11/25 – Slidell, LA

A boating accident along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain left three people injured in Slidell, Louisiana, public safety officials said on 11 February. The ages of the wounded and the extent of their injuries were not immediately disclosed.

Louisiana’s St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 (STFPD#1) said in a social media post that the accident occurred on Bayou Bonfouca, that an AirMed helicopter was part of the medical response, and that “multiple patients are involved.”

“Additionally, a STFPD#1 medic is on board the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office boat and is en route to assist,” the post said. Officials later updated the post to say that three victims had been transported for medical treatment.

The rescue also included personnel of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Acadian Ambulance, and Foggy Waters Marina, fire officials said.

Police Recovers Runaway Boat After 2 Teens Thrown

2/9/25 – Wilmington Island, GA

The police had to recover a runaway boat off Wilmington Island, Georgia, after two teens were thrown on 9 February.

The Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) Marine Patrol Unit responded to the Wilmington River for a boating accident. Two teens had been thrown, and their boat was unmanned and running.

Both of the teens were rescued by other boaters, a CCPD spokesperson said. One had suffered minor injuries and the other was unharmed. Marine Patrol Corporal Winston Maxey was able to stop the runaway boat with a little help from other boaters.

Police Advise Boaters Against Tackling Runaway Craft

“This is a powerful reminder of how quickly a beautiful boating day can become dangerous,” a CCPD spokesperson said. “We’d like to thank other boaters on the water who followed Cpl. Maxey’s instructions and assisted as he brought the vessel under control.”

Police reminded boaters that if they ever encountered a runaway craft, they should keep their own vessels as far away as possible and call 9-1-1 to alert authorities immediately, rather that attempting to stop the boat on their own.

Overnight Marina Fire Leaves Boats in Flames

2/13/25 – North Palm Beach, FL

A boat fire reported in the water at Florida’s North Palm Beach Marina at 11:10 p.m. on 13 February mobilized North Palm Beach Fire Rescue, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue (PBGFR), and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) and the Coast Guard also sent marine resources. According to PBGFR, 911 callers said they saw thick black smoke and flames from the inside of one boat, and that a nearby boat was also being affected.

When fire rescue arrived, they found three large vessels involved in a fire. The main body of fire was coming from the inside of a 48-foot-long catamaran and had also spread to two other large single hull sailboats.

The fire was brought under control by 3 a.m. One person was evaluated for an injury on scene, but they declined transport to the hospital. The State Fire Marshall was notified and the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

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