Accidents of the Week - June 15, 2024
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Chicago Police Rescues 2 Boats that Caught Fire on Lake Michigan
6/2/24 – Chicago, IL
Two boats caught fire on Lake Michigan on 2 June, Chicago police said. No injuries were reported in either incident.
Chicago police marine units responded to a first distress call near East 50th Street and DuSable Lake Shore Drive about 9:30 a.m. and found a boat on fire, police said. Three passengers were rescued, uninjured, and the fire was put out.
The second incident of the day concluded when CPD’s marine unit was able to locate a 60-foot boat named Misfortune, which had mechanical issues due to a fire. The vessel was towed back to Burnham Harbor. None of the eight passengers were injured.
Residents Concerned After Boats Burn Near Mississippi River
6/1/24 – Portage De Sioux, MO
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was investigating a fire involving several boats left in a pit near the Mississippi River.
The Rivers Pointe Fire Department responded to the incident on the afternoon of 1 June. Chief Rick Pender said the fiberglass materials and chemicals like oil and fuel left in the boats had caused clouds of black smoke and a blaze that took several hours to extinguish.
Pit Contained Boats Washed Up in 2019 Flood
“Even from a distance, we could see the black smoke,” Pender said. “There were motors, as well as fuel and oil on the water as we were fighting the fire.” The property owner, who also owns the nearby Longshots Tikki Bar, told local reporters that the fire had started accidentally when a subcontractor was working on the property. He said the fire ignited when the contractor pushed a boat into the pit. He said the pit had previously been used for dredging, but he had discarded damaged, abandoned boats that had washed up there after the 2019 flood.
The charred pile is less than 50 yards from the Mississippi River, raising concerns among Pender and residents in Portage Des Sioux about potential environmental hazards. Pender said the fire department had referred the case to the St. Charles Co. Police and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The state confirmed that it would send a team to investigate the site later in the week.
UC Students Rescued After Kayak Takes on Water
6/2/24 – Goleta, CA
Two UC Santa Barbara students were rescued while kayaking off Southern California’s Goleta coast on 2 June.
At 1:32 p.m., Santa Barbara County firefighters received a distress call about two people in the ocean between Haskell’s Beach and Coal Oil Point. The two students were wearing life jackets and paddled to Platform Holly when their kayak began taking on water and became too heavy and sluggish, reported Captain Scott Safechuck.
“Tired and cold, they called 911 from a cell phone,” said Safechuck. Firefighters launched two Rescue Water Crafts and were able to make contact with the kayakers and bring them to shore for evaluation.
After being evaluated by paramedics, the pair were released without any medical complaints.
Boat Catches Fire in Merrimack River
6/3/24 – Newbury, MA
A boat was on fire in Massachusetts' Merrimack River on 3 June, fire officials said, appearing to send smoke over Newburyport and Salisbury.
The boat caught fire at the Newburyport Boat Basin, according to the Newbury Fire Department. It was towed away from other boats, across the river. The Newburyport Harbormaster and Salisbury Fire Department helped to put out the blaze.
The charred hull of a speedboat was seen off Ram Island. Images posted to social media, including from the Newbury firefighters’ union, showed black smoke rising from the burning boat. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
1 Dead After Falling Off Boat in North Carolina
6/3/24 – Zebulon, NC
One person died after falling into North Carolina’s Bunn Lake on the morning of 3 June.
According to a social media post from Franklin County Emergency Services, several crews responded to a boating incident in Zebulon, North Carolina. The post revealed that one person had been saved from the water, but that emergency crews had been unable to save another.
The cause of the incident remained under investigation.
One Rescued After Boat Catches Fire, Sinks in Perdido Bay
6/4/24 – Lilian, AL
A 33-foot boat caught fire and sank in Perdido Bay, Alabama, on the afternoon of 4 June, according to the Lillian Fire and Rescue Facebook page.
The fire broke out around 3 p.m., prompting multiple fire departments to respond. According to photos posted on Facebook page, the boat had sunk by 3:56pm.
The boat owner was having engine trouble and as he tried to restart the engine an explosion took place in the rear of the boat. The boat owner was the only person on the boat at the time and he was rescued from the water by Lillian Fire Rescue. He was taken to an emergency room with minor injuries.
The Orange Beach Fire Boat ultimately put out the fire, but it was too late as the vessel ended up sinking to the bottom of Perdido Bay. Responding agencies included the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Marine Police, the Lillian Volunteer Fire Department, Perdido Beach Fire Dept. and the Orange Beach Fire Dept.
The cause of the fire remained unknown.
Intoxicated Boater Runs Aground on Martha’s Vineyard
5/31/24 – Dukes Co., MA
A large boat ran aground on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on the evening of 31 May, according to a dispatch received around 9:40 pm by Trooper Zachary Bolcome of the State Police-Oak Bluffs Barracks.
Trooper Bolcombe made his way to the beach and located the stranded vessel, a 43-foot Hinckley Sport Boat 40C. Trooper Bolcome approached the boat and with Edgartown officers saw two men who were on the boat when it crashed. Trooper Bolcome asked the men what had happened. The men explained that a navigational error had been made.
Boat Operator Arrested After Failing Sobriety Test
Trooper Bolcome spoke to the operator of the boat at the time of the crash, Riley Blizard, 32, and immediately recognized signs of impairment. He proceeded to administer Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) on Blizard, and based on the results he was placed under arrest and transported to Dukes County Jail for booking.
Firefighters, Street Worker Rescued from Boat at Edge of Dam
6/5/24 – Chippewa Falls, WI
First responders rescued three people who were stuck near the edge of the Glen Loch Dam in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
A Chippewa Falls Fire and EMS boat was stuck near the edge of the dam on the afternoon of 5 June. According to a press release from the Chippewa Falls Fire Department, the two fire fighters and a street department worker were on the boat to repair safety buoys above the dam when they were overcome by the current.
After nearly two hours, the people on the boat were able to get off and into another floatation device, which was then used to pull them to shore. The boat was later retrieved from the dam, and officials said no one was hurt in the incident.
Passionate Fisherman Dies After Boat Capsizes on Ohio Lake
5/26/24 – Springfield, OH
John Wisener Jr. had a passion for fishing at all times of the day. He was great at reeling in bass and catfish. "He's a competitive kind of guy. He had to catch the biggest fish. He never liked to lose," said his father, John Wisener Sr.
Wisener Sr. said his son worked hard as a roofer, but above all he loved his family, especially his four kids between 12 and 22. "He loved family. His personality was out of this planet. He made everybody smile."
Tragedy struck the family in the early morning hours of Sunday 26 May on Springfield Lake, in Springfield Township, Ohio.
"It seems like it's just a tragic accident," said Springfield Township Police Chief Jack Simone. Wisener Jr. was night fishing with a friend on a paddleboat around 1:30 a.m. when the accident happened. An officer, who was outside the police department right by the lake, was flagged down after the boat capsized about 50 yards from shore.
"Our officer immediately took his gear off and jumped into the lake to see if he could search for the fisherman," Simone said. The friend swam to safety, but Wisener Jr. didn't make it. His body was found about four hours later in 7 feet of water.