Accidents of the Week - July 19, 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.
Man Left Seriously Injured After Boat Crashes into Tree
7/12/25 – Penn Yan, NY
An investigation continued into what caused a boat crash that seriously injured a man on upstate New York’s Canandaigua Lake.
Emergency crews responded to East Lake Road in Middlesex, New York, around 7:55 p.m. on 12 July for a report of a boating accident with injuries.
Boat Operator Ejected, Found on Shore: Sheriff
"Witnesses on the scene reported that a single boat collided with the shore at a high rate of speed and struck a tree," Yates County Sheriff Francis Ryan said. "We had a single male operator who was ejected and found on the shore in the proximity of the boat." The boater was identified as Benjamin Cramer, 41, of Canandaigua.
"He was found breathing with apparent injuries and conscious," said Ryan. "He was transported by an emergency boat to a location where he was able to be transferred to an ambulance for transport to F.F. Thompson Hospital due to medical emergencies. He was then transferred to the Strong Memorial trauma unit for further care."
Ryan said witnesses called to report the crash. "The accident location was very difficult to access. It was a cliff area of the lake. The only access was by water or a steep stairwell to the road," Ryan said. "The boat will be moved to a local marina for examination by a barge due to the damage. It will be unable to be towed from the scene."
A woman coming off the lake Monday declined to comment but said she was on the lake when the crash happened and the boat was still mangled around the tree it struck. Ryan said people out on the water need to be alert.
Boater Struck by Propeller, Airlifted to Hospital
7/13/25 – Ocean City, MD
A boater was seriously injured after being struck by a pontoon boat propeller on the afternoon of 13 July, the fire department in Ocean City, Maryland, reported.
According to the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD), a boater was struck in the head by a pontoon boat propeller at around 3:53pm. Ocean City Fire Boat 1 responded to the emergency.
The injured individual was transported by Maryland State Police Aviation Command to a trauma center and the circumstances leading up to the incident were under investigation. OCFD described the patient as having a "serious injury".
Five People Rescued After Sailboat Catches Fire
7/13/25 – Jacksonville, FL
Five people were rescued on the afternoon of 13 July after their boat caught fire in the area of Julington Creek and the St. Johns River, Florida, according to St. Johns County Fire Rescue crews.
Around 12:15 p.m., St. Johns County Fire Rescue (SJCFR) said it, along with the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and Clay County Fire Rescue, responded to a reported boat fire. SJCFR said crews arrived on scene to find a sailboat “fully involved” and its five occupants in the water.
All individuals were wearing lifejackets and were safely rescued by a Good Samaritan who brought them to shore, according to SJCFR. Officials added that Jacksonville Fire Rescue crews assisted with extinguishing the fire and that no one was injured as a result of the flames.
The cause of the fire was under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC).
Firefighters Save Family from Disabled Boat
7/13/25 – Suffolk, VA
A fire & rescue crew in Suffolk, Virginia, rescued two adults and one child from the state’s Lake Cohoon on the afternoon of 13 July after their boat lost power, stranding them in a cover.
The call came in at 2:44 p.m., and rescue workers had returned the group to the dock on Pitchkettle Road by 3:37 p.m. The firefighters also towed the disabled boat back to shore. Nobody was injured.
First Responders Tackle Boat Blaze at Lake of the Ozarks
7/13/25 – Camden Co., MO
State Highway Patrol's Troop F responded to a boat fire on the afternoon of 13 July at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.
Sgt. Kyle Green with the highway patrol told local reporters that troopers were called around 2:20 in the afternoon to a boat fire at the 10-mile marker of the main channel on the Lake of the Ozarks.
Green said the boat had one person on it and that the person was able to climb off the boat to safety. The boat became fully submerged.
Sgt. Green said Lake Tow was handling the towing and removal of the boat.
Eleven Saved from Flooding Catamaran
7/12/25 – Dana Point, CA
The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies save 11 people aboard a charter catamaran taking on water approximately 7 miles south of Dana Point Harbor in Southern California, on the evening of 12 July.
Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach watchstanders received a distress call at approximately 6:20 p.m. from the operator of the 50-foot catamaran Manute’a, reporting flooding while still making way toward Dana Point Harbor.
The Dana Point Harbor Patrol and Orange County Sheriff’s Department were monitoring Channel 16 and immediately responded to assist. Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach assumed command of the search and rescue mission, issued an urgent marine information broadcast, and launched a response boat from Station Los Angeles while diverting the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren.
The cutter’s small boat crew, along with partner agency vessels, arrived on scene, controlled the flooding, and safely transferred all 11 passengers to another charter vessel, operated by the same company. TowBoat US arrived on scene and took the Manute’a in tow to Dana Point Harbor.
Police Launch Investigation After Boat Fire at Florida Marina
7/14/25 – Bradenton, FL
A criminal investigation was opened by police in Bradenton, Florida, after a boat fire on 14 July at the Twin Dolphin Marina, near the Riverwalk.
The fire was reported around 1:30 p.m., with police looking for anyone who may have been in the vicinity of the blaze.
“If you were on the Riverwalk shortly before or after the fire and noticed anything suspicious,” contact the police.