Accidents of the Week – July 1, 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.
Teen Thrown Off Jet Ski Found Dead in Florida Lake
6/18/23 – Polk Co., FL
A 17-year-old jet ski rider died after he was tossed into a Florida lake, officials said.
Jose Torres was operating the personal watercraft (PWC) late June 18 when he “made an abrupt turn.” Torres and his 15-year-old passenger were thrown from the jet ski and landed in Lake Clinch, according to preliminary information from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Torres not wearing PFD: sheriff’s deputies
Deputies said the 15-year-old passenger, “who was wearing a life jacket, was able to swim back to the jet ski.” But he could not find Torres and told others in the area that the older teen was missing, officials wrote in a news release. Then on June 19, deputies using an “underwater drone” reported finding Torres’ body about 20 feet below the surface. Though officials believed Torres had drowned, the medical examiner was expected to determine his cause of death.
Deputies said the teen wasn’t wearing a life jacket when he went into the water.
Man Rescued After Falling Off PWC in Utah Reservoir
6/19/23 – Washington Co., UT
In one of two separate water rescues at Utah’s Sand Hollow Reservoir on the evening of 19 June, a 20-year-old man from Nevada was pulled out of the water after falling off the personal watercraft he was riding.
“A Jet-Skier lost his passenger in the water for approximately 30 minutes before he was picked up by an unrelated bystander, another boater, and then brought to the docks,” explained Utah State Parks Lt. Regan Wilson.
Officer declares PFD ‘probably’ saved man’s life
Despite being in and out of consciousness for a time, the man refused medical transport and was still at the boat ramp when his friends met up with him after they had searched on the lake. “The friends that he was out there with were surprised that he was there (at the docks) because they’d been looking for him for the last hour to hour-and-a-half on the water,” Wilson said, adding that visibility on the reservoir was low at the time due to high winds and whitecaps.
Wilson said that the Jet Ski passenger had been wearing a personal flotation device. “He had a life jacket on, and that’s probably what saved his life out there,” Wilson said.
Michigan man dies after boating accident
6/16/23 – Oakland Co., MI
A 55-year-old man from Lake Orion, Michigan, was killed after falling out of a boat on the evening of 16 June, authorities said.
At about 5:40 p.m. on Friday, 16 June, the Oakland County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team was called to the 600 block of Victoria Island after police received reports of a missing boater.
Tonino Zaccagnini, 55, of Lake Orion, was reported missing by his family after they saw personal items in the water and an empty boat out on the lake. Authorities say he was found by a family friend about 15 feet from shore. The water in the area in question is about six feet deep.
"The rescue team recovered Zaccagnini from the water and began performing CPR," said authorities. "He was transferred to a nearby boat launch where paramedics from the Orion Township Fire Department took over life-saving efforts. He was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Zaccagnini's death remained under investigation, and an autopsy was scheduled.
12-year-old Dies After Boating Accident in Georgia
6/17/23 – Treutlen Co., GA
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) was investigating how 12-year-old Colten Foskey, from Dublin, had died in a boating accident on 17 June.
The department’s Corporal Rodney Horne explained that around 11:30 a.m. they received a call that Foskey and two other boys had hit a sand bar and were ejected from the boat. "All I would say, you know -- an unfortunate accident," Horne said.
Foskey, his dad, and the two other boys were traveling on Georgia’s Oconee River and entered north into Pete's Dead River on the Laurens County side. That's where the boat accident happened.
"Right now, we don't have an exact cause of death. It's pending part of an investigation, and waiting for the medical examiner to get back with us on it but the initial report was blunt force trauma," Horne said.
Drone with heat detector locates NH man on island in river
6/17/23 – Bartlett, NH
A New Hampshire man who sought refuge on an island after his kayak overturned in the Saco River was located on the night of 17 June, thanks to a drone equipped with thermal sensors, officials said.
The drone operated by Center Conway Fire detected a heat source on an island, and the North Conway and Bartlett Fire Swift Water Rescue Team successfully located the man after midnight.
Mark Thompson, 69, of Conway, New Hampshire, was cold and wet but otherwise unharmed, officials said. He and his son intended to paddle downstream but both capsized their kayaks Saturday afternoon.
His son was reunited with his kayak, but Thompson was separated from his kayak and had to swim to safety. He was last seen on shore around 2 p.m., officials said.
Florida Marine Unit Responds to Boat Crashes
6/18/23 – Nassau Co., FL
The Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit in Nassau County (NCSO), Florida, had an eventful weekend, leading two marine rescues when things went awry on the water.
At around 9 p.m. on 18 June, officers responded to calls of a sinking sailboat. The boat had hit the jetties, and the couple and their dog onboard were in danger of going down with the ship. Officers were on scene in time to tow the boat to shore and keep it from sinking.
Just two hours later, at 11 p.m., officers responded to calls of another accident. This time, two boats collided on the water and one of the operators had been thrown from the boat and into the water.
The runaway boat had no one else on board to stop it, leaving it running unmanned. The NCSO Marine Unit was able to stop it, tow it to a local boat ramp, and rescue the man in the water, who reportedly sustained no serious injuries and did not go to the hospital.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement division was investigating this crash.
Tampa Bay Man Dead After Crashing Boat into Dock
6/18/23 – Palm Harbor, FL
A boater who had been reported missing was found dead in Palm Harbor, Florida, on 19 June, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Mark Mayer, 50, left home in his 19-foot Tracker fishing boat at around 7 p.m. on 18 June. When he failed to return home, his family reported him missing, the sheriff’s office said in a news release on the evening of 19 June. Mayer’s body and his boat were spotted by deputies in the agency’s flight unit around 11:26 a.m., the release added.
An investigation found that Mayer had crashed into the dock at 3723 Mullenhurst Drive and was thrown from his boat and into the water, the sheriff’s office said.
“Alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash,” deputies said, although the investigation was ongoing. Mayer’s next of kin had been notified of his death, the release said.
Boat Carrying Four Grounded Near Hatteras Village; No Injuries
6/18/23 – Cape Hatteras, NC
A boat grounded on the night of 18 June at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, in North Carolina.
National Park Service (NPS) officials said the 28-foot vessel Carolina grounded on the beach near the northeastern entrance to Hatteras Village. There were four people on board; nobody was hurt.
NPS, the U.S. Coast Guard and the owner were working in coordination to have the boat removed from the beach.
Girl Drowns After Being Pinned Under Inflatable Tube
6/20/23 – Bullhead, AZ
Police say a teenage girl drowned after becoming pinned underneath an inflatable tube in the Colorado River. Bullhead City Police say the incident happened at about 7:30 p.m. on June 20 at the Riverside Casino boat dock on the Nevada side of the river.
The girl, a 14-year-old from Downey, California, was pulled from the water after she was pinned underneath an inflatable tube and between the piling of the Laughlin Bridge.
"Witnesses reported that the juvenile was riding on an inflatable raft which was being towed by a personal watercraft," police wrote on social media. The girl was tossed off the tube and the watercraft capsized. CPR was administered to the teen, who was taken to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center where she later died.
Police said impairment or negligent operation did not appear to be factors in the accident. The girl was wearing a life vest. She was not identified.
Man Dies After Boating Accident on Arkansas Lake
6/20/23 – Mountain Home, AR
A man from Baxter County, Arkansas died on the afternoon of 20 June after sustaining injuries in a boating accident at the Cranfield Marina on Lake Norfork, in Mountain Home. According to reports, the Baxter County Sheriff's Office received a call about an injured man yelling for help at the marina.
When officers arrived, they found the man and saw that his pontoon boat had extensive damage to the front, side, and inside. Officers said it appeared that he had been in a boating accident.
Video surveillance showed that there was possibly another person involved in the accident who may be missing, but after a brief search officers learned that the person had been dropped off in a different location and was safe.
After reviewing the footage further, it showed that 74-year-old Robert Jay Louck returned to the marina in his boat where it was seen circling for about 30 minutes before arriving at the dock and then striking another boat that was parked in a stall. Paramedics were on scene to help but their procedures were ineffective and Mr. Louck was later pronounced dead by the county coroner.
Family Rescued From Sinking Boat During Storm at Oklahoma Reservoir
6/17/23 – Oklahoma City, OK
An Oklahoma City family was rescued from Lake Hefner after their boat sunk during intense storms on the night of 17 June.
According to Oklahoma City Police, the family of three held onto the tip of their boat that was barely above the water while calling for help. A police report said that a family member had called 911 to tell officers their family was stranded on a boat in the middle of the lake.
Police said this had all happened during a severe storm with extremely strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning. "It's pretty open so the wind can come up, you know and then your waves get really big, and if you haven't been out there and practiced in that or are familiar with moving your boat around and maneuvering with those big waves, then, you know, it can be a struggle for you and your boat and whoever you're with," said MSgt. Kendall Smith with the Oklahoma County Police Department.
Officers searched the lake in their patrol boat for the family, and eventually found them, without life jackets, hanging on for dear life.
"If it starts getting bad, everybody in the boat should have life jackets on," Smith said. "US Coast Guard regulations say everybody has to have one that fits them, in good working condition," he added.
The family told police they were out on their boat fishing before the storms hit, but then their boat lost power, the storms came in, and the boat began to sink.
Boat Fire on New Hampshire Lake
6/20/23 – Center Ossipee, NH
On 20 June at approximately 3:00 p.m., New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol was notified of a boat fire with injury on Ossipee Lake in the town of Center Ossipee.
At approximately 2:45 p.m., members of Ward’s Boat Shop in Center Ossipee began a water test on a 1998 Hurricane deck boat by Godrey Marine Company, when some of the vessel’s operating systems began faltering.
The operator, identified as Kevin Wells, 68, of Freedom, NH, intended to return the short distance to the boat launch when the vessel flashed over and caught fire. The operator sustained superficial burns, but otherwise was not injured. The boat came to rest against docks at the Lakefront Landing Marina causing fire damage. Fire units contained the scene and were able to bring the boat to the launch ramp where it was removed.
Responding agencies included Center Ossipee Fire, West Ossipee Fire, Action Ambulance, New Hampshire State Police Troop E & Marine Patrol, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
The boating incident was being investigated by the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol, but was not considered suspicious.
Coast Guard Rescues 4 People, Dog Off Florida’s Sanibel Island
6/21/23 – Fort Myers, FL
On 21 June, a Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach boat crew rescued four people and their dog south of Sanibel Island, Florida. The group was brought back to Station Fort Myers Beach with no injuries reported.
Coast Guard urges boaters to check weather reports, carry safety equipment
The crew of the sailing vessel North Wind called for help via VHF Channel 16 and reported to Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders, at approximately 7:45 p.m. on 21 June, that their vessel was taking on water from the weather, their sails were torn and their rudder was broken.
"It's really important for people to check weather reports before going out on the water during Florida's rainy season," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Dean Marandos, Station Fort Myers Beach.
"It's even more important to have working safety equipment on board such as flares and an emergency position indicating locator beacon." A safety information marine broadcast was issued for the anchored vessel to warn boaters of the hazard to navigation. The weather on scene was 4 to 5-foot seas and 20-25 mph winds.