Accidents of the Week - July 29, 2023
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Two injured in Massachusetts boat explosion
7/17/23 – Gloucester, MA
Two men were injured on 17 July when their boat exploded in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The men jumped off the boat after an explosion near the Blynman Bridge. Another boater was able to get a dog off the burning vessel.
Fire officials said the explosion was so loud, that EMTs who were working in the area thought someone struck their ambulance. "It sounds like minor. It doesn't sound like it was anything associated with the fire itself. It sounds like they may have been injured getting off the vessel. They were leaving in a hurry," Gloucester Fire Department Deputy Chief Philip Harvey said.
"They were able to get out of the water on their own." The men were taken to a Beverly Hospital, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation.
Eight Injured in River Boat Crash; Driver Accused of Boating Under Influence
7/15/23 – Philadelphia, PA
A man has been accused of boating under the influence after crashing a boat in the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia, and sending eight people to local hospitals on 15 July, according to news sources. Two of the eight people injured in the crash were babies.
At around 7:10 p.m. on 15 July, officers responded to a crash under Philadelphia’s 34th Street Bridge, near Grays Ferry neighborhood. When they arrived at the scene, they came across a boat with nine people on board that had crashed into the bridge’s structure, according to local news reports.
The driver, who was later identified as Parminder Singh, 29, of Pennsauken, New Jersey, was behind the wheel as firefighters removed passengers from the vehicle, according to reports.
One of the infants was transported to the Jefferson Hospital and treated for a nosebleed while the second baby was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for an evaluation. The adults, who ranged in age between 23 and 31 years old, suffered minimal injuries.
Four adult passengers also suffered head, ankle and back injuries and were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Two of the other adult passengers were not injured, according to reports.
Three Injured as Boat Strikes Jetty
7/15/23 – Port Jefferson, NY
Three people were injured on 15 July when a boat struck the east jetty at the entrance to Port Jefferson Harbor, in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk police said.
The people were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to police. Suffolk police Marine Bureau officers aboard Marine Delta responded just after 11 p.m., police said. Additional details were not available.
Docking Accident Claims Child’s Life
7/15/23 – Shreveport, LA
A boating accident claimed a child’s life on 15 July in Shreveport, Louisiana. Caddo Parish Fire District 1 reported that the events occurred around 6:57 p.m. on Cross Lake, with dispatch records showing that Caddo sheriff’s deputies responded to Cross Lake Point at that time.
A 6-year-old became pinned between a boat and a boat dock on the northern end of the lake, according to the fire district. The Caddo Sheriff’s Office reported that the accident had occurred at a private dock in the 5700 block of Crosslake Point Drive in Shreveport.
Deputies said the girl slipped and fell between the boat and the dock while the boat was being docked. The child was taken to Ochsner LSU Health, where she was pronounced deceased. On 16 July, the Caddo coroner’s office identified the child as Jordan McGimsey and said “she was injured while leaning over the side of the boat while it was being docked at a residence in the 5700 block of Crosslake Point Drive in west Shreveport.”
Kayaker Vanishes at Alaska Glacier; Helmet Cam Recovered
7/11/23 – Juneau, AK
A camera belonging to a Juneau man reported missing after someone found his empty kayak near Mendenhall Glacier revealed his fate, Alaska State Troopers reported.
Footage on the GoPro helmet cam revealed that Paul Rodriguez Jr., 43, drowned in Mendenhall Lake after his kayak capsized, troopers said in news release on 18 July. His kayak and a dry bag were found on the lake on 11 July, troopers said. No identifying markings were found on the kayak or bag.
On 16 July, troopers learned from the Juneau Police Department that Rodriguez had been reported missing. Juneau police said in a news release that a U.S. Forest Service employee found Rodriquez’s vehicle parked in the visitor center parking lot.
He was last seen walking away from the vehicle carrying an ice ax and helmet, police said. A photo Rodriguez posted to social media showed a kayak near a waterfall at the glacier lake. Police also posted a photo of Rodriguez to Facebook.
Footage revealed kayaker not wearing safety equipment
On 17 July, troopers and others searched the Mendenhall Glacier area but did not find Rodriguez, troopers said. “During the search, a good Samaritan turned over a helmet with a Go-Pro camera attached,” troopers wrote. The camera was confirmed to have belonged to Rodriguez.
A review of the video showed Rodriguez drowned on 11 July when his kayak overturned, troopers said. They said he did not appear to be wearing proper safety equipment. A search for his body was ongoing, troopers said. Mendenhall Glacier is about 10 miles northwest of Juneau.
Man’s Hand Amputated After Propeller Accident
7/16/23 – Napa Co., CA
A 39-year-old man from Richmond, California, had part of his hand amputated after suffering major injuries in a boating accident on the afternoon of 16 July.
The man fell off a boat at Lake Berryessa before he was struck by the vessel’s propeller, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said. The accident was reported about 12:48 p.m. and a deputy found the Richmond man suffering from “major” lacerations on his hand and wrist. The deputy quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the sheriff’s office said.
The man was not wearing a life jacket, but family members were able to pull him back up to the boat, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
The victim had been riding on the front of the bow before he fell into the water, the sheriff’s office said. He was airlifted in a CHP helicopter to a hospital in Vacaville for surgery.
Coast Guard Rescues Boater After Vessel Catches Fire
7/18/23 – Downe, NJ
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a boater whose 42-foot fishing vessel burst into flames along the Delaware Bay on 18 July.
Emergency responders who arrived on a rescue boats pulled the man from the water after being notified about the fire aboard the Done Deal in Delaware Bay’s main shipping channel at about 11 a.m., the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Response boat crews from Downe Township Fire and Rescue as well as Little Creek Fire Company in Delaware arrived to extinguish the fire. The man was brought to Higbee’s Marina in the Fortescue section of Downe Township, New Jersey, where EMTs checked the boater for possible smoke inhalation, officials said.
A good Samaritan on a different boat was the first to notify the Coast Guard. “The efficient and fast communications from everyone involved, especially from the good Samaritan, were critical in saving this man’s life today,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Higgins, the search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. The owner of the boat was arranging for commercial salvage, the Coast Guard said.
11-year-old Dies From Injuries After Boat Accident
7/19/23 – Little River, SC
The 11-year-old daughter of longtime New England Revolution goalkeeper Brad Knighton, died in a boating accident north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on 19 July, according to authorities and the family. Olivia Knighton died at McLeod Seacoast Hospital after the incident on the Intracoastal Waterway near Little River.
Nine thrown overboard after hitting wake of other boat
Investigators with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said Olivia was among nine people thrown overboard when their boat was hit by a large wake from another boat. Officials said the 11-year-old was hit by the propeller. Twelve people were on a 23-foot boat at the time of the incident. No one else was injured, officials said.
In a statement posted by Brad Knighton, her grieving family said, "There are no words to express the depth of our profound grief and sorrow in this moment. Our family is still in shock at the sudden and tragic loss of our beautiful and brilliant daughter, Olivia, to an unfortunate boating accident yesterday. We are all still in disbelief that her bright and pure light was taken away from us so suddenly. Somehow, we will get through this together as a family."
Investigators said the boat accident was still under investigation.
Out-of-control Unmanned Boat Hits, Capsizes Marine Patrol Boat
7/19/23 – Gilford, NH
An out-of-control, unmanned boat caused a chaotic scene on Lake Winnipesaukee on the night of 19 July as it crashed into a Marine Patrol boat and sent two officers into the water.
A 911 caller reported a person in the water yelling for help while a boat was circling around them in the area of Round Island in Gilford around 10:30 p.m. Two Marine Patrol officers discovered the boating crash and two people in the water. Both people were pulled onto the boat and transferred to a Gilford Fire Department vessel.
Rescue crew thrown overboard in attempt to stop runaway boat
The boat from the crash was still running and "wandering erratically on the lake," New Hampshire State Police said. Police said the officers made "a valiant and treacherous attempt" to stop the boat.
They tried to throw a line into the water in hopes of entangling the propeller to slow it down. One attempt was unsuccessful. During the second try, the boat made an "unexpected turn" toward the Marine Patrol vessel. The officers tried to swerve, but the unmanned boat slammed into their vessel's stern, causing it to capsize.
The impact threw the officers overboard and "momentarily" pinned them under the boat, police said. At this point, their boat was being dragged by the unmanned boat. The officers were able to escape and Good Samaritans pulled them onto their boat. Those Good Samaritans were also able to board and stop the unmanned boat, which had been slowed down by dragging the Marine Patrol boat.
Police said both people involved in the original boat crash were taken to an area hospital but were expected to survive. The officers were evaluated as a precaution at the hospital, but were not hurt.
Boat Slams into Tiki Hut in Backyard of Florida Home
7/12/23 - Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL
It was a close call for a family living by the water in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, when a boat leaped out of the Intracoastal Waterway and crashed into the rear of their home. The boat struck a channel marker, ricocheted and crashed into the rear of the home, located along the 1500 West Terra Mar Drive, on the night of 11 July.
Homeowner Lynne Kelley, who has been living in the area for nearly 10 years, said nothing like this had ever happened to them before: “We heard a loud crash. I thought it was thunder,” she said. However, this was no summer storm. “The first thing we saw was a motor on our patio,” she explained. The out-of-control vessel crashed into the Kelleys’ backyard by the sea and left a path of destruction.
“I’m still in shock, I’m sick to my stomach,” said Kelley. “They removed the motors, at least, off the property. The boat got towed at 2 in the morning; they had to wait for high tide. I believe he hit that post out there.”
The red post, a channel marker, was left leaning, missing its reflective signage and red light. U.S. Coast Guard crews were at the scene of the crash on the morning of 12 July, installing a temporary fix to the channel marker.
Homeowner calls for speed restraint on Intracoastal Water
“It ricocheted and just flew at us,” said Kelley. Cellphone video captured the center console of the boat, its bow shredded apart by the impact. The boat, sitting on its lift, appeared to be totaled, and its twin outboards were thrown across the Kelleys’ patio.
“If the tiki hut wasn’t here, we probably would’ve been dead, ‘cause I think the motor would have gone through our window,” said Kelley. The family was sitting under the same tiki hut just hours earlier. “I’m thankful, thankful to be here,” said Kelley. “We’re out here every night, having a glass of wine, and fortunately, we went in early.”
The incident serves as a reminder for boaters to think twice and slow down. “I don’t understand why on the Intracoastal you are allowed to go fast, and believe me, I sometime wanna get where I gotta go and don’t love going slow, but it is so dangerous,” said Kelley.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was leading the investigation, and no information was released on the boat captain’s condition.