Accidents of the Week - July 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.
Boaters Rescued After Running Aground Off Virginia Beach
6/28/24 – Virginia Beach, VA
A group of boaters escaped unharmed after they ran aground in bad weather, thanks to the Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD). The fire and rescue agency urged boaters both new and experienced to take all advised steps and precautions in case anything goes wrong.
On 28 June, the fire department received a call about a boat that ran aground with four people aboard near Chic’s Beach, Virginia. It was breezy, about 10-15 knots of sustained breeze with higher gusts. The boat was a 26-foot cuddy cabin powerboat with twin outboard motors.
Aerial video from the fire department showed waves crashing over the boat as it listed to the side while grounded on the bottom. The department first responded with a Personal Watercraft (PWC) because it was the quickest way to reach the boat.
Thankfully, no one was injured and the four stranded boaters simply needed transporting back to shore. VBFD’s fire boat arrived and, after helping the victims from the boat as waves crashed over it, safely brought them to Virginia Beach’s Lynnhaven Marina.
Three, Including Child, Seriously Injured in Florida Keys Crash
7/8/24 – Monroe Co., FL
Three people, including a child, were flown by paramedics from the Florida Keys to mainland hospitals, after the fast-moving boat they were on crashed into a bridge early morning on 8 July, according to Monroe County Fire Rescue.
High Speed Crash at 2 a.m.
Four other people on the boat were taken to local hospitals, said Kristen Livengood, spokeswoman for the Monroe County fire department. The Contender struck the South Pine Channel Bridge -- connecting Middle Torch Key with Ramrod Key in the Lower Keys -- around 2 a.m. at a high rate of speed, Livengood told local reporters.
Firefighters had to use ladders on the old bridge to get down to the people and rescue them before the boat sank, Livengood said. Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and a boat from Sea Tow also responded to the crash, said Livengood.
2 Children, 2 Adults Rescued After Boat Capsizes
7/4/24 – Galveston, TX
Two children and two adults were rescued after their boat capsized near Galveston, Texas, on July Fourth.
Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a report at about 6:20 p.m. of a boat having capsized with two children and two adults on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A deployed rescue crew found them clinging to the side of the capsized vessel.
The children were wearing life vests, the U.S. Coast Guard reported, but the adults were not. The boaters were rescued, brought on board and taken to Galveston Bait and Tackle, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. No injuries were reported.
Woman Dies While Boating on 4th July; Two Charged with BWI
7/4/24 – Galveston, TX
A Fourth of July drowning was being investigated by authorities in Texas after a woman fell off a boat and died.
The Montgomery County Pct. 1 Constable announced that it had received a 911 call around 8:59 p.m. local time on 4 July, about a woman who had "fallen off a boat near the Scott’s Ridge Boat Ramp" in Lake Conroe. At the time, multiple departments "responded to the area" and the woman was located by divers at 11:30 p.m.
The woman was later identified by authorities as 31-year-old Jerri MacMeekin. Two men -- Jerri's brother Kyle MacMeekin, 29, and Shane Annboli, 44 -- were taken into custody that same day by Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens, and each charged with boating while intoxicated.
Woman Reportedly Not Wearing PFD
After arriving on the scene, authorities learned that two vessels, including one pontoon boat, had been running together. Two men and a woman jumped into the water to rescue Jerri but could not locate her, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, citing police records.
The woman who jumped in for the rescue was also reportedly missing at one point, the outlet said. After that woman was located about an hour later, divers then found Jerri’s body. The operators of both boats were reportedly arrested and booked in Montgomery County Jail.
“We never enjoy pulling people out of the water, especially on a holiday weekend when you’re supposed to be having fun, enjoying time with your family,” Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Capt. Miguel Rosario said. Jerri was reportedly not wearing a life jacket when she was pulled out of the water.
Man, 58, Killed in Brooklyn Boat Crash
7/6/24 – Brooklyn, NY
A 58-year-old man was killed in a crash between two boats near Avenue X and Gerritsen Creek on 6 July in Brooklyn, New York, police reported. FDNY and NYPD harbor units responded to the scene of the collision, according to authorities.
Police said one of the boats contained three people, with one man on that boat hospitalized and pronounced dead. The surviving passengers were in stable condition, according to authorities. Police said there was no criminality suspected in the incident.
20 Rescued from Half-Sunken Boat in Detroit River
7/7/24 – Detroit, MI
A 54-foot boat remained stuck on its side in the middle of the Detroit River since Sunday 7 July.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit, 20 people had to be rescued from the boat as it began sinking – a cooler was left on board, as well as red solo cups in the cupholders. While it was unclear what had caused the vessel to sink, it caught the attention of people on land and served as an interesting backdrop for those spending the day at the beach on Detroit’s Belle Isle, between the United States and Canada.
During a routine safety boarding of the boat, the station crew noticed the engine compartment was flooded, according to the Coast Guard. They quickly got all the people off the boat to safety as it sank. No injuries were reported.
Boat Catches Fire in Virginia Lake; Young Mother in Intensive Care
7/5/24 – Spotsylvania Co., VA
What started as a casual family trip to watch fireworks on the water turned into what Melissa Graham described as a “parent’s worst nightmare.”
Graham and her husband were meeting with several family members and friends at Lake Anna’s HighPoint Marina, in Virginia, on 5 July, when her daughter’s boat suddenly burst into flames.
“I had to witness the whole thing,” Graham stated in an anguished voice. “I don’t want any gory details out there but it was just really horrific.” Several individuals were seriously injured, but Graham’s daughter -- 27-year-old Samantha Graham – suffered the worst of the injuries.
Samantha was life-flighted to the burn unit at VCU Hospital, where she remained in Intensive Care. Samantha’s fiancé, Philip Wright, was also treated for severe burns to his legs after being transported to VCU, and others received treatment at Mary Washington Hospital. The couple’s one-year-old baby was also on board at the time of the accident, but escaped with no serious injuries.
The Virginia Conservation Police, under the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and other agencies were investigating the cause of the fire, but details were as yet unknown.
While still in a state of shock, Melissa Graham and her family attempted to make sense of what could have occurred. “The only thing we can imagine is that it was something to do with heat and fuel creating a vapor lock,” Graham stated. “There was no alcohol whatsoever.”
Coast Guard Rescues Boater from Sinking Sailboat
7/10/24 – Virginia Beach, VA
The U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic responded to a sinking sailboat 25 nautical miles off False Cape, Virginia, on the night of 10 July.
According to a Facebook post, first responders with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish were dispatched about 25 nautical miles east of False Cape after receiving a call about a sailboat losing steering and flooding from the rudder post. Coast Guard Station Little Creek and the Virginia Beach Fire Department also assisted with the rescue.
The rescued boater was expected to be okay, according to officials.
Coast Guard Rescues Missing Mother off Cedar Key
7/9/24 – Clearwater, FL
Coast Guard crews rescued a missing mother on 9 July, after a coastal thunderstorm separated her from her husband and child while paddleboarding off Cedar Key, Florida.
Levy County Sheriff's Office dispatch contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 10:41 a.m., reporting that a paddleboarder had lost sight of his wife and had to beach himself and his child on Dog Island, due to inclement weather.
A Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team St. Petersburg boat crew located the missing mother around 11 a.m., retrieved the father and child, and transported them to Cedar Key Boat Ramp. “We were scanning the water with binoculars when we spotted the bright orange life jacket she was wearing,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Elizabeth Knight, Aids to Navigation Team St. Petersburg. “She appeared to be exhausted from paddling against the weather and once she saw us she waved her paddle in the air and started calling for help,” Knight added.
Coast Guard Crews ‘Always Ready to Save Mariners at Sea’
“Regardless of their assigned task, Coast Guard crews are always ready to save mariners at sea, in this case, while conducting routine maintenance, our aids to navigation team was able to assist in the rescue of a paddleboarder who was believed to be in distress,” said Capt. Michael P. Kahle, commander of Sector St. Petersburg. “I want to thank our Coast Guard men and women conducting aids to navigation duties nationwide, and I’m glad that our crews were able to reunite this mother with her husband and child.”
No injuries were reported.