Accidents of the Week - February 3, 2024
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Police Rescue Boater Stuck in Ice off Long Island
1/23/24 – Suffolk Co., NY
A boater who was stuck in the ice on Smith Point Bay, in Long Island, NY, had to be rescued by police on the afternoon of 23 January.
Suffolk County police said they got a call at around 2:30 p.m. about a boat stuck near the Smith Point Bridge. Police explained they had used their own boat to break up the ice and tow the boat to shore. They said the man in the boat was clamming.
Pete Lombardi, of Calverton, New York, said that he had seen the boater stuck in the ice yelling for help. "I went down there and he's like, 'I've been out here for like seven hours straight, I'm freezing, I'm freezing, call somebody,'" Lombardi explained.
Police sources added that the man they had rescued was the only person on the boat.
3 Injured After Boat Crash on South Carolina Lake
1/24/24 – Dreher Island, SC
A boat crash was reported on Dreher Island, in South Carolina’s Lake Murray, by Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster. The crash took place just one day before the Lake Murray portion of the Bassmaster College Series fishing tournaments was set to begin.
Sheriff Foster said the crash “most likely occurred during a practice round to get used to the lake.” Foster said two boats were involved in the crash and three people were injured. One of the injured people was taken to a trauma center immediately while the other two were taken to area hospitals.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the vessels were “out-of-state boats practicing for the upcoming collegiate fishing tournament”. Each boat had two people on board, they added.
Fire and rescue officials, emergency medical services, deputies with the sheriff’s office and officers with DNR all responded to the scene, Sheriff Foster added. The exact causes of the crash remained unclear.
Coast Guard Captures Rescue of 20 People Trapped on Lake Erie Ice Floe
1/22/24 – Ottawa Co., OH
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed 20 people were safe after being trapped on a Lake Erie ice floe on 22 January, with the rescue mission caught on camera.
The Coast Guard received reports at 10:21 a.m. that 20 people were stranded on an ice floe half a mile off shore, near Catawba Island State Park, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit. A Coast Guard helicopter and two airboats first joined local authorities on scene to conduct the rescue operations, USGS said. Coast Guard sources added that some of the people may have been unaware that the ice floe they were on was drifting at that time.
“An ice floe is a floating sheet of ice that has broken off from a larger ice formation. These can be unpredictable and dangerous, especially in areas subject to winds or currents, leading to drift into open waters,” USGS explained.
The Coast Guard confirmed at 12:41 p.m. that all 20 people were safely ashore. Seven people were able to repair their airboat and return to land, according to USGS, while Marblehead station airboats rescued nine people off the ice, and local authorities four more.
Those who were rescued were ferried to Catawba Island State Park or flown to the airport, Coast Guard sources, adding that no injuries were reported.
Duck Hunters Hear Cry for Help, Rescue Boaters Floating in River
1/20/24 - Chattahoochee, FL
Under cover of darkness, two commercial boat captains launched their boats in a Florida river to pick up clients for a day of duck hunting. Brice Williamson and Clay Sorrell, hunting and fishing guides and captains with Williamson Outfitters in Eastpoint, Florida, were on the water by 6 a.m. on 20 January and headed toward a boat ramp to pick up the duck hunting group, the company said in a social media post.
"Please Help My Friends!’
The waters were rough on the Apalachicola River, they told local reporters, and the temperature was near freezing, about 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Suddenly, they heard someone calling out for help. “Please help my two friends, they just flipped their boat over in the river channel,” the captains said he yelled. Jumping into action, the two boats rushed in the direction of the capsized boat.
“It’s a scary thing, something that a duck hunter always talks about. What if this happens?” Cole Puckhaber, also on the boat, said in a video posted on social media. “Fortunately, we were the last boats to put in, and if we weren’t the last boats to put in, I don’t know what would have happened to those guys if we wouldn’t have been there. It was definitely scary.”
When they arrived, they saw a man using his life jacket and floating in the freezing water. The first boat, led by Sorrell, quickly reached the man in the lifejacket and pulled him into the boat, Williamson said in the video. In the other boat, Williamson began searching for the other boater, invisible against the dark water. Then they spotted him tucked between the pylons of a nearby bridge.
“He had grabbed onto a decoy bag, still had his waders on,” Sorrell said. “Luckily, he was smart enough to grab the decoy bag and stay calm and pin himself between two pylons.” With both men safely onboard, the boats headed back to the ramp and rushed to get the men warm. They dropped their wet clothing and sat in a heated truck, uninjured but in shock, the company said.
“The way the whole thing was executed, you know you run stuff like that through your head all the time, like what if this were to happen with one of my buddies riding on the boat with me or my client that’s riding on the boat with me, or my dad or anybody,” Puckhaber said. “And how well it went this morning? I mean I would say it’s a 100% success.”
The crews said they were able to anchor and recover the guns and gear from the capsized vessel, then tow the boat back to the boat ramp to be recovered.
Men Retrieved from Boat on Icy Waters in Northern Virginia
1/21/24 – Fairfax Co., VA
Two men were rescued on 21 January from a small boat that became stranded in the icy waters of Belmont Bay, Virginia, an official with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said.
The men found conditions too icy to safely return to shore about 1:30 p.m. and called 911, according to Kelly Johnston, a fire department battalion chief. They were safely retrieved by county fire and rescue boats and brought to shore, she said. No injuries were reported.
The bay lies between the Potomac River and the mouth of the Occoquan River, abutting shorelines in Virginia’s Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Coast Guard, Puerto Rico Police Rescue 3 Boaters from Capsized Vessel
1/23/24 – San Juan, PR
Three boaters were rescued from a capsized vessel on 23 January by Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Police air and surface crews, just off Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico.
Abdiel Alvarez, 21, Carlos Rosado, 23, and Jerry Mendez, 21, were rescued after their 18-foot boat ‘La Chupi’ capsized and the men were able to successfully climb on top of the overturned vessel. The boaters were wearing life jackets when rescued.
“The swift coordination and collaboration amongst all responding units, including Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit COBRA 54 led to the successful rescue of three individuals,” said Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Capestany, U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan command duty officer for the case. “The boater’s ability to establish communications with a 911 emergency operator and relay a precise location was instrumental to their rescue.”
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a 911 call at 8:11 a.m. reporting a capsized vessel with three persons in the water, approximately 1.5 nautical miles northeast of Desecheo Island. Watchstanders entered into a distress phase and directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen, diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon, and alerted Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action units that responded to the scene.
Shortly thereafter, all responding assets arrived on scene with the capsized vessel, and the Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit safely recovered all three boaters.
Following the rescue, the Puerto Rico Police crew transported the survivors to the Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action Boat Station in Añasco, Puerto Rico. No injuries or medical concerns were reported in this case.