Accidents of the Week - July 22, 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.
Boat Fire at Tennessee Lake Marina Damages Pier, Other Vessels
7/7/23 - DeKalb Co., TN
Both the DeKalb County Fire Department and Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad responded to a boat fire at Edgar Evins Marina, on Tennessee’s Center Hill Lake, at around 9:30 p.m. on 7 July.
The boat reportedly caught fire away from other boats in the marina but as first responders were heading to the fire they learned the boat had begun to drift back to the marina, where other boats were stored. With both the marina structure and the many boats housed there now at risk of catching fire as well, fire crews arrived to find the large cabin cruiser had drifted to the 'C' pier and was burning intensely.
The burning boat was so close to the pier that the flames were damaging other boats parked in their pier slips. Fire and rescue crews worked quickly to evacuate the pier and reach the burning boat. Crews attached a tow line to the vessel and used the line to pull the burning boat away from the pier.
Crews towed the flaming boat to shore and secured it there in a way that would prevent it from both drifting and sinking, to help with recovery operations.
Coast Guard Assists 11 on Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain
7/8/23 – New Orleans, LA
The Coast Guard assisted 11 boaters beset by inclement weather on 8 July on Lake Pontchartrain, near New Orleans.
Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received notification at approximately 2 p.m. from New Orleans Parish Dispatch of a 23-foot pontoon boat with eight people onboard, caught in inclement weather. Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station New Orleans 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew to assist.
The boat crew arrived on scene, embarked all eight boaters, anchored the pontoon boat, and transferred the boaters back to Seabrook Harbor & Marine in New Orleans.
Additionally, Station New Orleans watchstanders received a phone call at approximately 2 p.m. from three people aboard a disabled, 17-foot recreational vessel who were also beset by weather and in need of assistance. Station New Orleans launched a 29-foot Response Boat–Small crew to assist.
The RB–S crew arrived on scene, embarked all three boaters, anchored the recreational vessel and transferred the boaters to Bonnabel Boat Launch in Metairie, Louisiana.
Man Dies After Jumping Off Jet Ski in Nevada Reservoir
7/6/23 – Spring Creek, NV
A 59-year-old man died after officials said he jumped off his jet ski and disappeared under the water. Gary Fine from Carlin, Nevada, was jet-skiing at the Southfork Reservoir near Elko on 6 July at approximately 5 p.m. when the incident happened.
Officials said that after jumping off his jet ski, Fine began swimming without a life vest. They said he was unable to reach his jet ski and disappeared under the water. "Witnesses immediately responded, trying to assist him, but were unable to locate him under the surface of the water," a press release stated. Law enforcement searched and snorkeled in the area until approximately 8 p.m. but did not locate Fine.
Local officials, including a dive team, resumed their search at 8 a.m. on 7 July, and reported that the dive team was able to locate Fine approximately 100 feet from the shore.
It was not initially known why Fine was not able to get back onto his jet ski. According to deputies, he had many years of experience as a boater and water enthusiast. The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office was working to complete an autopsy.
Body of missing boater in North Carolina lake crash recovered
7/9/23 – Wake Co., NC
The body of a boater who went missing on the afternoon of 9 July on North Carolina’s Falls Lake has been recovered, according to authorities. Early on 10 July, searchers on Falls Lake refined how and where they were looking for the boater, who was missing for over 30 hours. "We are not leaving any resources untouched to continue to find this man," said Chief Tony Godwin of the Wake County Sheriff's Office.
Boater went missing after crash in heavy weather
The person, whose identity was not released, went missing the previous afternoon during severe storms. According to a spokesperson with Northern Wake Fire & Rescue, a collision between two boats happened around 1:47 p.m. on 9 July, near the Holly Point Campground State Recreation Area in Wake Forest.
At the time, high winds and heavy rain were crossing the lake, making conditions dangerous and reducing visibility. "We can confirm that they were out in the storm, and it was a bad storm," Lt. Brandon Coffey, from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said. "I mean thunder, lightning, heavy rain. It dumped a tremendous amount of rain at one given time. So, we do believe that was part of the reason for the accident."
Three people were involved in the crash and one person went missing. The identity of the missing boater has not been released.
Boat Sinks, Leaks Fuel into Allegheny River in Pittsburgh
7/7/23 – Pittsburgh, PA
Hazmat and river rescue crews in Pittsburgh were called out after a boat sank, leaking fuel into the Allegheny River on the evening of 7 July.
According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, first responders arrived on the scene just after 5 p.m. to find a sinking boat. Pittsburgh medics, police, and members of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission were also on scene.
Hazmat set up a boom line to contain the fuel spilled. A towing company worked to remove and salvage the sunken boat. No one was injured in the incident.
Two Hospitalized After Boat Crash on Arkansas Lake
7/7/23 – Benton Co., AR
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, there was a single boat crash on Beaver Lake at around 10 p.m. on 7 July. Six people were on board, and two were transported to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers with non-serious injuries.
Clayton Orice was fishing in the area of the accident. "They were going at about an idling speed," Price said. "As they started getting closer to me, all of a sudden, they just floored their boat."
According to the Game and Fish Commission the boat hit the ground beneath the lake, causing the accident. “Whatever it hit, it ejected all six of them out of the boat," said Price, who brought all six people to shore after the crash.
15-year-old Believed Drowned After Boat Capsizes
7/7/23 – Tillamook, OR
A teenager is believed to have drowned after his boat capsized in Oregon’s Nestucca Bay on 7 July. According to the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office (TCSO), the incident was reported around 7:23 p.m.
Tillamook 911 dispatched TCSO Deputies, Nestucca Fire & Rescue, United States Coast Guard (USCG), Tillamook Ambulance, and Oregon State Parks to the mouth of Nestucca Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
A 12-foot boat had been crabbing in the area with a 40-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old boy on board. The boat capsized, and all three were thrown into the water.
Sheriff’s Office reports ‘insufficient number’ of PFD’s on board
The man and 17-year-old were able to make it to shore, but the 15-year-old boy disappeared in the water. A search operation for the missing boy included efforts on land, sea, and air for over two days, but as of 10 July the missing boy had not been recovered. The TCSO said he was presumed deceased.
An investigation into this boating accident was being conducted. According to the TCSO’s initial findings, there was an "insufficient number of personal floatation devices (PFD's) on board the vessel at the time of the capsizing."
The missing 15-year-old boy was not wearing a life jacket when the boat capsized and he was thrown in the water. On 9 July the boat resurfaced and was recovered.
Two Pontoon Boats Swept Over Dam on Hudson River
7/11/23 – Corinth, NY
In an event that offered a reminder of how strong river currents can be right now, with rising water levels, two pontoon boats swept down the Hudson River and over the dam in Corinth on the night of 11 July.
The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of the boats floating down river, still attached to a dock. Deputies were able to contact the owner who told them a fallen tree had knocked them loose.
Local officials urge residents to avoid boating in area
The Corinth Fire Department was called in for assistance. Unfortunately, due to the heavy currents, Chief Andy Kelley said there wasn’t much they could do. He said that, at one point, the boats were swirling around in circles before ultimately going over the edge of the dam.
This is the same area of the Hudson in Corinth where a family was rescued last month while paddle boarding. The currents swelled at that time, too, though not as intensely as in the past few days.
Kelley said that authorities had put out messaging to local residents to avoid swimming and boating in the area until the waters calmed down.
Pontoon Boat with Family of 6 Onboard Burns on South Carolina Lake
7/11/23 – Salem, SC
A man took photos and video of a boat on a South Carolina lake as he watched it burn from his own boat.
Barry Walker, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, said he was staying at his home on Lake Keowee off Highway 11 and decided to go for a sunset cruise Tuesday night. When he got to the main channel by Island 17, which is south of Highway 11, about a mile south of Falls Creek Landing, he saw smoke, then flames coming from a pontoon boat.
"You can't not watch," Walker said about the boat fire. "I watched it burn from the rear to become fully involved as the deck caught fire." He said there were other boats around the burning boat with people watching from them, as well, but there did not appear to be anyone in trouble. "It was kinda scary to see," Walker said as he shared the video to a local news site.
Greg Lucas, with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), said law enforcement had responded to the fire at 9:20 p.m. Lucas said the pontoon boat was on fire and "fully involved" when they arrived. He said a family of six was on the boat and went "out for a joy ride" when they experienced engine trouble, the fire started, and they all jumped off the boat, according to Lucas.
By the time SCDNR arrived, the Salem Fire Department had already put the fire out, and crews towed the boat to Keowee Town Landing, Lucas said. He added that a good Samaritan had pulled six people out of the water and taken them to the landing. No one was injured.
Man Seriously Injured in Boat Crash on Maine Lake
7/11/23 – Standish, ME
A man was seriously injured in a boat crash in Standish, Maine. The Fire and EMS Dept. said crews were dispatched to Watchic Lake around 10:30 p.m. on 11 July. The man was trapped under the boat console when they arrived.
The department says they got the boat as close to shore as they could get it and spent half an hour trying to free the man while the boat was taking on water. The victim’s injuries were serious but non-life-threatening.
The department released no further details about the crash.