Accidents of the Week – June 17, 2023
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Investigation Underway After Fatal Boat Crash on Tennessee’s Norris Lake
6/5/23 – Grainger Co., TN
Officers of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) were investigating a fatal boat crash that occurred on Norris Lake at around 5:20 p.m. on 4 June.
According to TWRA officers, the crash, which took place near the lake’s Black Fox Access Area, involved a personal watercraft (PWC) that collided with another boat. The driver of the watercraft, John Curley Jr., 59, from Knoxville, died at the scene.
First responders took the victim's body for forensic analysis, according to officials. Wildlife officers said they would present their findings to the district attorney's office to determine if any charges should be filed.
"TWRA offers prayers and condolences to Mr. Curley's family and to those involved in the incident," the agency declared.
Man injured in boat explosion on Oklahoma’s Lake Texoma
6/3/23 – Marshall Co., OK
Authorities said a Pottawatomie County man was expected to be okay after the boat he was on exploded on Lake Texoma. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) said it happened on the morning of 3 June at the Catfish Bay Marina.
OHP said the boaters accidentally poured gas in the water tank, realized the mistake and poured gas into the gas tank. One of the boaters was in a store when she heard the explosion and went back to get the other boater, 58-year-old Johnny Wiggins, to safety.
Man Dead After Small Boat Capsizes in New Hampshire Pond
6/3/23 – Seabrook, NH
Authorities recovered the body of a man after a small boat capsized in a pond in Seabrook, New Hampshire on 3 June. New Hampshire Fish and Game responded to a possible drowning after a 911 call at around 4:15 p.m.
According to authorities, 2 people were fishing on a small boat that capsized. One of the people was able to make it to shore and assisted first responders with locating the missing person. The body of 26-year-old Justin Janvrin from Seabrook, was recovered at around 6:55 p.m.
Man Drowns in Tennessee Lake Trying to Pull Boat to Shore
6/4/23 – Nashville, TN
The fifth boating fatality of the year at Tennessee’s Percy Priest Lake took place on 4 June according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), which reported that 32-year-old Jorge Guevara Ventura of Nashville had gone into the water during the afternoon and never resurfaced.
Ventura was with another boater when the boat broke down and Ventura attempted to pull the boat to shore with a rope. He started to struggle and the other boater tried to save him but was unable to. Divers later found his body in the early evening.
Stranded Boater, Dog Rescued on Long Island
6/3/23 – Long Island, NY
A man and his dog were rescued from a 25-foot boat that got stuck off Nassau County on the night of 3 June, police said.
The boat came aground in Sea Dog Creek near Reynolds Channel in Point Lookout, Nassau County police said in a news release. The man and his dog, Lola, were trapped in the marsh when the County Marine Bureau arrived on the scene.
Police said the two were uninjured but "in distress due to high wind conditions and decreasing temperatures." Following their rescue, the boat was towed to a nearby marina.
4 People Injured in Tennessee Boat Fire, Explosion
6/3/23 – Knox Co., TN
Officials at the Rural Metro Fire Department in Knox County, Tennessee, announced that crews had been dispatched to the scene of a boat fire and explosion on Fort Loudon Lake at Concord Boat ramp on the evening of 3 June.
Around 6:45 p.m., crews responded to a boat fire and explosion at Concord Boat ramp in Knox County.
The boat exploded after refueling at a gas dock, according to a release from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TWRA officials said four people were injured in the blast and ensuing fire, with three of them transported via helicopter with varying degrees of burns to the Vanderbilt Burn Center.
Multiple Boats Catch Fire at Lake Powell Marina
6/2/23 – Page, AZ
New information has been released regarding the houseboat fires that occurred on the Utah-Arizona line over the weekend. Officials say the investigation started on Friday, 2 June, shortly after 1:20 p.m.
Authorities received a report of a vessel fire at the Wahweap Marina, located on Lake Powell near Page, Arizona. Multiple agencies responded to the fire, which reportedly started on a houseboat docked near the Latitude 37 restaurant.
The fire quickly spread to other houseboats, one of which that was pushed out of its boat slip and into the marina, then stopped by breakwater which then caught fire, a release stated. Officials explained that more than half a dozen houseboats momentarily caught fire.
Authorities urged the public to exercise extreme caution in the area, and reported that impacted areas had been closed off to public access. “Staff are assessing which sections of the dock were not compromised by the fire and will advise when boat slips are cleared for safe harbor,” the release stated.
There were no fatalities in this incident, officers said, although two people were evaluated on site for smoke inhalation by Kane County EMS. This incident was under investigation by the National Park Service.
Boat Catches Fire on Tennessee River
6/3/23 – Hardin Co., TN
A boat with at least one passenger on board caught fire on 3 June on the Tennessee River, according to the Hardin County Fire Department (HCFD).
Crews arrived at the Savannah boat ramp at around 11:30 a.m. and discovered the boat on fire in the Tennessee River, according to HCFD. Crews said one person aboard suffered minor burns and was transported for treatment.
Police closed the ramp to allow crews to clean up and remove the boat.
Authorities Respond to Boat Explosion on Michigan’s Union Lake
6/4/23 – Oakland Co., MI
Authorities responded to a boat explosion on the afternoon of 4 June on Union Lake, located in Michigan’s White Lake Charter Township.
Authorities were called around 4:00 p.m. on reports of a boat engine catching fire near the sandbar of Union Lake, near Commerce Road.
Officials blame improper ventilation for blast
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department's Search and Rescue Team was assisted by the Commerce Township Fire Department to put out the flames and rescue the boat's two occupants. No injuries were reported and the boat’s captain and passenger were taken safely to shore. The boat was also safely removed from the lake.
Upon further investigation it was determined that improper ventilation of gas fumes likely caused the fire. According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office's Twitter page, the explosion is a, "stark reminder to properly use your boat blower motor before activating the ignition."
Coast Guard Crew Rescues Georgia Man Stranded on Sinking Boat
6/4/23 – Little St Simon Island, GA
A Coast Guard aircrew rescued a man who was trapped after his boat started taking on water, miles off the Georgia shore.
Boater used VHF radio, GPS to advise Coast Guard of position
At around 4:19 p.m. on 4 June, the captain of a 45-foot sailing vessel notified the Coast Guard that his boat was beginning to sink. An aircrew found the boat around 3 miles offshore of Little St. Simons Island with the man stranded on the shore. The crew was able to hoist the man up and take him to Little St. Simons Airport with no injuries.
“A combination of 23 mph winds and 5-foot seas combined to wash the sailing vessel up on an isolated part of the coast," said Lt. Cmdr. Ian Campbell, the Air Station Savannah aircraft commander on the case. "Fortunately, the mariner was prepared with a VHF-FM radio and GPS which allowed him to pass an accurate position to Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders and to our aircrew, who located him on the beach."
After his rescue, the captain of the sailing vessel began coordinating the salvage of his boat.
Boat Bursts into Flames at Lake of the Ozarks Marina
6/8/23 – Sunrise Beach, MO
“It sounded like a pop!” That’s how bystander Greg Merchant explained the start of a boat fire at the Lake of the Ozarks’ Pointe Oasis Marina on Thursday, 8 June. According to Pointe Oasis personnel, the boat — a Wellcraft runabout — had just been refueled, and the driver was having a hard time getting it started.
"This wasn't a 'Didn't run the blower' situation," he explained. Rather, he said, it seemed the boat's carburetor may have flooded and then the engine backfired, igniting the fuel, which would explain the popping sound. Patrons at nearby Lake House 13 restaurant watched as smoke began emerging from the boat.
Merchant said he heard marina staff telling the boat occupants to jump out, before the boat burst into flames.
Someone from the marina briefly sprayed a fire extinguisher at the boat, and then marina personnel hopped on a PWC and pushed the boat out into the cove, safely away from the gas dock. Quickly, the boat went from smoking to being fully ablaze.
Crews from Lake Ozark and Sunrise Beach Fire Protection Districts responded with land-based fire vehicles as well as multiple fire boats. A Missouri State Highway Patrol boat used its motors to shoot water onto the burning boat.
The boat sank, and by 4:30 p.m., just the tip of the bow could be seen protruding from the water close to the Pointe Oasis docks. Witnesses reported seeing two occupants from the boat taken away by ambulance for treatment, and a medical helicopter was seen approaching the area. The identity and condition of the occupants remained unknown.
Boat Sinks After Striking New Jersey Bridge
6/6/23 – Avalon, NJ
A 52-foot vessel carrying seven people partially sank at New Jersey’s Avalon Yacht Club on 6 June after striking Townsends Inlet Bridge overnight, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard received a report of the boat striking the bridge at 12:01 a.m., a spokesperson for the agency said. The boat's captain left the area near the bridge and reached the Yacht Club, where it then sank. No one on board was injured.
A photograph of the boat showed it resting on its side partially submerged in the water near a dock. Northstar Marine and Sea Tow were tasked with salvaging the wreck, said the company's owner, Phil Risko.
About a quarter mile separates the bridge from the dock where the boat sank, Risko explained. Part of the waterway was temporarily closed off to boat traffic while commercial divers and engineers repaired the bridge, the Coast Guard reported.