Accidents of the Week - January 20, 2024

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.

Rescue Crews Respond to Boat Fire in North Miami

1/8/24 – Miami, FL

A boat that caught on fire in North Miami prompted a swift response by rescue crews.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at the scene in the area of Northeast 135th Street and 27th Avenue on the afternoon of Monday 8 January, near the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University (FIU).

No injuries were reported and it was unclear how the fire had started.

Two Rescued After Grounding in Severe Weather

1/2/24 – Mobile, AL

Two people were rescued after being stranded on a pontoon boat in Alabama’s Mobile Bay during severe weather on 2 January, according to the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency.

A Mobile Fire-Rescue boat responded to initial reports that one person on a pontoon boat was in distress in the bay, near the Mobile Yacht Club. According to local meteorologist Grant Skinner, the Coast Guard was notified as well.

Mobile Police later released more information about the two people rescued on 2 January. Officers were called to McNally Park where they found a “pontoon boat aground on a jetty,” according to a news release. The occupants of the boat were able to safely reach shore when the boat drifted to Bay Front Road.

Man Jumps off Boat with Dog After Vessel Catches Fire

1/7/24 – Martin Co., FL

Martin County Fire Rescue put out a boat fire along the Intercoastal waterway in Florida’s Hobe Sound on Sunday, 7 January.

Authorities responding to the incident said that the catamaran was fully engulfed in flames, forcing the operator to jump off the boat along with their dog before heading back to shore.

Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze within minutes.

Coast Guard Responds to Grounded Vessel Off Maui

1/8/24 – Maui, HI

The Coast Guard and local agencies responded to a foreign-flagged sailing vessel that ran aground near Lahaina, Maui on Monday 8 January. Good Samaritans rescued eight people from the sailing vessel Altego II after it ran aground near Lahaina Harbor.

At 12:20 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watch standers received a radio distress call from the Altego II, a 52-foot sailing vessel with eight people on board, after they ran aground near the entrance to Lahaina Harbor. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu issued an urgent marine broadcast to mariners, dispatched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Maui, and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter William Hart to respond to the situation.

Coast Guard Highlights Pollution Risk After Grounding

“Due to the potential pollution threat this vessel represents to the sensitive marine environment and surrounding area, and with a heightened concern for the strong Kona winds predicted through Wednesday, the Coast Guard is proactively engaged with the vessel owner to ensure salvage and pollution removal efforts are made as quickly and safely as possible.” said Cmdr. Kristen Hahn, Sector Honolulu Response department head.

Good Samaritan vessels operating in the area were able to safely transport eight people, including five children, to Lahaina, Maui. No injuries were reported.

The Coast Guard and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources took steps to ensure that the responsible party was taking the appropriate actions to salvage and minimize any potential impacts to the environmentally sensitive area around Lahaina, Maui. No wildlife impacts were reported or observed.

Two Stranded on Island After Canoe Capsizes

1/7/24 – Bourne, MA

Two people were reportedly stranded on Toby’s Island in Bourne, Massachusetts, late afternoon on Sunday, 7 January.

According to reports, the pair were canoeing when one of them capsized. That person was able to get out of the water but the two became stranded on Toby’s Island, a private island off Bourne.

There were concerns the person who was in the water could be suffering from hypothermia. Firefighters responded sending a boat to the location to bring the victims to shore, where they were evaluated by EMTs.

Boat Fire Quickly Extinguished in Mattituck

1/5/24 – Mattituck, NY

A boat fire broke out in Mattituck, New York, on Friday 5 January, officials said.

According to the Mattituck Fire Department, the fire was reported at 2:23 p.m. at the dock on East Mill Road. The first officer on scene, Truck Company Captain Judd Lincoln, confirmed the boat was on fire in the water at the dock.

A hand line was stretched and the fire was knocked down within minutes, officials said. Overhaul was conducted to ensure the fire was completely out, officials said.

Rescuers Swept Away While Trying to Reach Stranded Boaters

1/9/24 – Transylvania Co., NC

Rescuers were swept away while trying to reach stranded boaters on a North Carolina river, officials said.

Several people were taken to the hospital after the water rescue took a “catastrophic” turn on Tuesday 9 January, according to Connestee Fire Rescue Inc. in Brevard, North Carolina. “It was completely unforeseen,” Fire Chief Chase Owen told local reporters. “Sometimes things like this can just go awry.”

The day of the mishap, severe storms lashed much of North Carolina with powerful winds and heavy rain. In Transylvania County, first responders were called just before 6 p.m. to reports of people screaming in an area that floods frequently, according to rescuers. A group had been trying to get to their livestock, which were “surrounded by flood waters.”

Three people were in a boat on the French Broad River when it was swept away and overturned, sending them into the water, Connestee Fire Rescue wrote in a news release. Crews used a drone to find the stranded group before setting out on boats to reach them, but one of the rescue boats experienced a “catastrophic incident” when it capsized and got lodged against a bridge, officials said.

Rescuers Treated for ‘Mild Hypothermia’

“Two members of the vessel’s crew were able to exit the river quickly,” rescuers wrote. “Two more members of the crew were swept downstream approximately 75 yards and were able to reach an area of refuge and wait for more crews to rescue them. The fifth and final rescuer was swept approximately 150 yards down river before reaching an area of refuge.”

The three crew members who got swept away were rescued with the help of first responders from other counties. Everyone on the rescue boat -- including members of Connestee Fire Rescue, Rosman Fire Rescue, and Transylvania County Rescue Squad -- was taken to hospital with “mild hypothermia” and released. No major injuries were reported.