Accidents of the Week – July 8, 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.

Boy Suffers Compound Fracture When Jet Skis Collide Off Long Island

6/25/23 – Point Lookout, NY

Two teens on jet skis collided off Long Island on the afternoon of 25 June, leaving one of them with a compound fracture, Nassau County police said.

The two boys, ages 16 and 15, were riding jet skis in the Jones Inlet off Point Lookout around 12:45 p.m. when they crashed into each other. The 16-year-old suffered a compound fracture to his leg in the collision.

First responders and the U.S. Coast Guard located the teen and brought him to West Marina in Point Lookout, where he was transported by Nassau police helicopter in stable condition to a hospital. The 15-year-old was not injured in the crash, according to police.

An investigation into the collision was ongoing.

Coast Guard, County Rescue Seek Missing Boater in Lake Erie

6/24/23 – North Kingsville, OH

A water rescue mission for a missing boater in Lake Erie turned into a recovery operation on 25 June, after efforts to find the man were not successful as the day progressed.

At 8:51 p.m. on 24 June, a call concerning a man overboard came from a vessel about four miles off the shore of North Kingsville, just west of the Route 193 intersection on Lake Road, said North Kingsville Fire Department Captain Kyle Adkins.

North Kingsville Fire Chief Kevin Hubbard said a man had fallen overboard and a second man on the boat was unable to hold onto him. He said it was unclear why the man had fallen into the water. Hubbard added that the boat was found late Saturday evening and the man on board was brought to shore around 10:30 p.m. by a Conneaut Fire Department boat.

He was uninjured and was reunited with his family, the Fire Chief said.

The Ashtabula County Water Rescue Team was on site Saturday and Sunday and had as many as six boats from area fire departments in the water. Hubbard said they had dogs on the scene that could smell humans while on the water, in addition to the U.S. Coast Guard vessels and area rescue boats.

Joseph Negron, an operations specialist for U.S. Coast Guard Buffalo sector, said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was also assisting in the operation and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was also involved.

Negron said several U.S. Coast Guard vessels searched the water on the morning of 25 June but were not able to find the man. Efforts ended at 4:40 p.m. “[The search] has turned into a recovery operation,” Hubbard said.

Boater Injured by Rope When Boat Cleat Breaks

6/22/23 – Osage, MO

An Illinois woman was hospitalized after an accident on the Lake of the Ozarks on 22 June.

According to the Highway Patrol, on the afternoon of 22 June, a 2000 Crestliner boat was towing a tube with no one in it when the boat cleat broke, and the excess rope attached to the tube was pulled out.

The Patrol says 70-year-old Ruth Strohfeldt was injured by the rope as it was pulled out of the boat. Strohfeldt had moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital.

One Dead in Crash Between Ferry and Boat; Port Miami Shut Down for Hours

6/25/23 – Miami, FL

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released new details about a deadly crash involving the Fisher Island Ferry and a 32-foot-long boat in the early hours of 25 June. In a new report, the FWC said it was not known if alcohol was a factor in the crash and added that an arrest was "pending."

The 32-foot boat was being held at an FWC site in North Miami and a local news crew noticed that there were large cracks in the hull.

According to FWC, a ferry collided with the boat at 3:40 am in the middle of the channel, blocking access to and from the PortMiami for 11 hours. FWC reported that 29-year-old Angel Dominguez of Hialeah was on board the boat and was rescued and rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, while 27-year-old Christian Fernandez of Cutler Bay was also on the boat and did not survive.

Boat Catches Fire on Tennessee River

6/25/23 - Chattanooga, TN

A boat caught fire on the evening of 25 June on the Tennessee River, behind the Baylor prep school. According to firefighters, the fire began at 8 p.m.

Chattanooga firefighters explained that the boat’s carburetor had malfunctioned, which had caused the fire.

Officials Investigating Boat Explosion Near Florida Key

6/24/23 – Longboat Key, FL

Officials were investigating an incident involving a boat explosion on the afternoon of 24 June in Sarasota County, Florida.

At about 4:45 p.m., authorities received a report of a boat explosion near Longboat Key, west of New Pass bridge, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) told local news reporters.

Multiple agencies, including the FWC, U.S. Coast Guard, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Fire Rescue responded and arrived on the scene.

According to FWC personnel, six passengers aboard the 24-foot-long Yellowfin boat were accounted for and taken to a nearby hospital, although authorities did not reveal the condition of each person that was on the boat.

Woman Hurt in Jet Ski Accident on California Lake

6/24/23 – San Andreas, CA

A woman was hurt in a jet ski crash on California’s New Hogan Lake on 24 June, the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Protection District said.

After the crash, which involved two personal watercraft (PWC), the woman was taken by an air ambulance to a trauma center in Modesto.

13-year-old Tubing at Summer Camp Dies After Being Hit By Boat

6/22/23 – Otter Tail Co., MN

A teenager died during a boating accident at a summer camp in Minnesota, police said.

Benjamin Rennie, a 13-year-old camper at North Central Camp Cherith, was tubing on Lake Six on 22 June when the accident occurred, according to a report from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office.

After Rennie fell off of an inner tube, a boat operated by a camp employee attempted to pick him up, police said. But the employee accidentally struck Rennie with the boat, causing him serious injury, police said. Life-saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Crews Rescue Boater in Distress on Virginia River

6/28/23 – Appomattox, VA

A boater in distress on Virginia’s James River was rescued by crews in the early hours of 28 June, the Volunteer Fire Department of Appomattox, Virginia, reported.

Around 1 a.m., the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) said they were dispatched to help Gladstone Fire and Rescue crews with the search for a distressed boater.

"Crews from Appomattox and Concord deployed 2 boats and a raft and searched several miles of the James River near Bent Creek in Appomattox County before locating the boater and his vessel," AVFD said. The boater was taken to shore uninjured.

Arkansas Officials Investigate Boating Death

6/24/23 – Pope Co., AR

Officials at the state’s Game and Fish Commission confirmed that there was a boating death at Lake Dardanelle, in Arkansas, on 24 June.

Victim not wearing PFD

Marshall, Arkansas, resident Charles Roger Baker Jr., 42, was out on the water as the single occupant in a mud motor-driven boat. Witnesses later reported seeing him in the water struggling. Authorities did not confirm whether there had been a collision with an object or a fall overboard.

A safety lanyard was attached to the vessel, but the victim was not wearing a life jacket. The Pope County Office of Emergency Management recovered the body.

Firefighters Battle Boat fire on Hood Canal

6/23/23 – Hansville, WA

East Jefferson firefighters were called to a boat fire roughly three miles off of Paradise Bay on 23 June after a person in Port Ludlow, Washington, reported visible flames coming from a vessel on Hood Canal. A citizen called in the boat fire just after 1 p.m. on 23 June. The pleasure craft was found to be around 400 yards from Foulweather Bluff near Hansville.

Nearby boaters were able to safely take on the two passengers of the boat and begin firefighting efforts, according to East Jefferson Fire Rescue.

East Jefferson Fire Rescue was informed of the fire at 1:06 p.m. on 23 June and responded as mutual aid with the Coast Guard, North Kitsap Fire, and Suquamish Tribal Police.

Marine 31, East Jefferson Fire Rescue’s 24-foot fire boat, responded with a crew of four. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, according to East Jefferson Fire Rescue.

Two Girls Hospitalized Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Boat Exhaust

6/24/23 – Coolin, ID

Two girls were hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning after sitting at the rear of a boat while out on Idaho’s Priest Lake on 24 June. One of the girls remained in hospital recovering.

On June 24, two girls, aged 11 and 13, and several other children were at the rear of the family's boat when they fell unconscious into the water. Luckily, they were wearing lifejackets.

Family members brought them to the nearby Hills Resort, where an off-duty physician, several off-duty medical professionals, good Samaritans, and an on-duty EMS person began treating them. The 13-year-old was transported by ground ambulance to a nearby hospital, while the 11-year-old was flown via Life Flight to Sacred Heart.

The 13-year-old was treated and released, however the 11-year-old remained in hospital, recovering.

Several other children were also affected by the boat's exhaust, but they did not require medical treatment.