Accidents of the Week - June 8, 2024
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.
80-Foot Yacht Hits Object, Sinks Off Florida Coast
5/25/24 – St Augustine, FL
A relaxing day on the water off the coast of Florida ended in a rescue for two people after their yacht reportedly struck something and started to sink, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard received an emergency alert around 11:30 a.m. on 25 May from the operators of Atlantis, an 80-foot yacht, reporting that it had struck something and was taking on water, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The yacht was located about three miles off the coast of St. Augustine Beach.
As Weather Improves, Coast Guard Stresses Need for Safety Equipment
Officials with the St. Johns Sheriff's Office and St. Augustine Police Department were the first agencies to reach the vessel and help rescue the two people. Photos shared by the U.S. Coast Guard showed the stern side of the boat beneath the water, while the bow remained above the water.
"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partner agencies for their invaluable assistance during this case," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Ricardo Santacana, command duty officer, Sector Jacksonville, in a written statement. "With the weather improving and mariners heading out onto the water, it's imperative for everyone to verify the presence of all necessary safety equipment aboard their vessel. This ensures that responders, as demonstrated in this case, can swiftly locate you and render assistance when an emergency arises."
The Coast Guard said the yacht's owner would coordinate how to recover the boat from the water. The cause of the sinking remained under investigation.
Family Rescued After Boat Captain Struck by Lightning
5/18/24 – Cape Canaveral, FL
A family outing took a terrifying turn on 18 May after a boat captain was struck by lightning, leaving the group stuck off the Florida coast and needing to be rescued, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Seven people were rescued from the 24-foot boat after it lost power following the lightning strike. It happened about two miles east of Cape Canaveral, the U.S. Coast Guard wrote in a post on social media.
The family and the captain were taken aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral's rescue response boat and taken to a safe haven where the captain received medical care. The extent of the captain's injuries was unclear.
According to the Cape Canaveral Coast Guard station, the boat was anchored, and its owner was working with commercial salvage for recovery operations.
Boat Destroyed by Fire on Lake of the Ozarks
5/18/24 – Osage, MO
A boat was destroyed by fire on Saturday, May 18, around the 1 Mile Marker on the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Lake Ozark Fire Protection District was on-scene with a fire boat shortly after the blaze erupted late Saturday evening.
Mechanics Recommend Changing Impeller to Prevent Overheating
Boat fires occur nearly every year on Lake of the Ozarks, with overheating considered one of the most common causes of these blazes, while one of the most common reasons for an overheat is a failed impeller.
Marine mechanics recommend preemptively changing a boat's impeller every two years to prevent this catastrophic risk.
Man Arrested After Striking Dredge Pipe in Indiana Lake
5/24/24 – Lake Co., IN
A man was arrested in Cedar Lake, Indiana after he left his boat when he crossed the Cedar Lake dredge pipe.
Around 1:21 a.m. Friday, Cedar Lake Police were called to the 13400 block of Cedar Street on the lake for a boat ran aground, Police Chief Carl Brittingham said in a release. They saw the boat — a 2003 Baja — sinking and were told that someone had picked up the boat’s driver on a personal watercraft, Brittingham said.
Police Located Boater with ‘Strong Smell of Alcohol’
Police found the 43-year-old man and noticed a “strong smell of alcohol on his breath,” Brittingham explained. The man admitted to “operating the boat and speeding while crossing the dredge pipe and striking it,” he said. The suspect was taken to the Lake County Jail and refused to submit to a chemical test, Brittingham said. Prior to the presentation of formal charges, local reports did not name the suspect.
The boat, which did not leak any fluid and was therefore deemed a non-hazard, was removed from the lake, Brittingham said.
This was not the first instance of the dredge pipe being crashed into or used as a launching pad. In June last year, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a temporary rule restricting the speed of watercraft within 220 feet of the dredge pipe. The rule lasted until the end of 2023 boating season, but was not reinstated for 2024.
In May last year a boat hit the dredge pipe at high speed, according to local press reports, lodging the boat’s propeller into the pipe, while warnings were issued against several people who launched their jet skis off the pipe on 7 June 2023.
3 Men Rescued After Boat Catches Fire on Long Island
5/25/24 – Long Island, NY
Three men were rescued after their boat caught on fire in Suffolk County, New York, on 25 May.
Officials said the boat caught on fire before 10 a.m. in Long Island’s Great South Bay. The men had to evacuate their boat and get onto another vessel that was nearby. When officers arrived, the boat was fully engulfed in flames and the marine unit put out the fire.
The men and the good Samaritan who had assisted them were not hurt.
Woman Loses Leg to Propeller in ‘Freak Accident’
5/15/24 – Baldwin Co., AL
A freak boat accident changed the life of a woman from Citronelle, Alabama, forever.
On May 15, Nikki Goodman was on a boat with her husband heading out to Gravine Island in Alabama’s Baldwin County for a day of fun in the sun. They had just left the Chickasaw boat launch and were anticipating a pleasant day.
Couple Thrown from Boat After Hydraulic Cable Breaks
“I was laying out in the sun, he was fishing- you know, having a relaxing day,” she said. Suddenly, their boat malfunctioned and the unthinkable happened. “All of a sudden, the hydraulic cable breaks that goes to the steering, so when it broke, the boat just started spinning and it immediately threw us off,” said Goodman.
Goodman says the propeller sliced her legs. Her husband made it back on to the boat, but he couldn’t find her until she began yelling for help. “I was just like ‘help me, my legs are going numb, I can’t feel my legs,’ but my leg was already gone,” she said. She says her left leg was gone -- cut off right above the knee -- and her right leg was severely damaged.
In shock, her husband pulled her back on to the boat and grabbed any items in sight to stop the bleeding. Miraculously, Goodman says she never lost consciousness. “Bungee cords -- whatever we had on the boat -- he started tying them to my legs to stop the bleeding,” she added.
It just so happened there was another boat that was passing them and on it were two good Samaritans. “It was a man and woman. and I would love to find them and thank them because they helped save my life. They were already on the phone with 911. He immediately got on the boat with my husband and started helping him. I don’t want to shake his hand. I want to hug his neck and I just want to say thank you,” she stated.
Two Rescued in Florida After Watercraft Runs Aground
5/26/24 – Tampa, FL
Two men were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on the night of 26 May, after their watercraft “ran aground” near City Island, Florida.
The USCG Station Cortez boat crew safely rescued the men from the water and anchored their vessel, before taking them to the Coquina North Boat Ramp in Bradenton Beach. No one was injured during the incident.
It was unclear what type of watercraft the two men were operating.
Coast Guard Rescues Mariner from Sailboat on Fire
5/23/24 – Portsmouth, VA
The Coast Guard rescued a mariner late evening on 23 May from a sailboat on fire nearly 60 miles east of Chincoteague Island, Virginia.
Fifth Coast Guard District Command Center watchstanders received a 406-megahertz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) signal at approximately 8:30 p.m. for the 45-foot sailing vessel Trilogy. Watchstanders directed the launch of an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, as well as issued an Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue alert.
EPIRB Allowed Coast Guard to Arrive ‘In a Timely Manner’
The Hercules crew arrived on scene at 10:10 p.m. and spotted a dingy with a person aboard. The dingy was near the Trilogy, which was on fire. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 10:50 p.m., safely hoisted a 58-year-old man, who had no reported major injuries, from the life raft and flew him to Norfolk Sentara for further medical evaluation.
“Due to this mariner’s diligence to have an EPIRB on board his vessel, rescue crews were alerted to his distress and arrived in a timely manner,” said Lt. j.g. Erin Bellen, search and rescue operations unit controller with Fifth Coast Guard District.
“This mariner also had filed a float plan with a family member, which the Coast Guard always recommends you do even for short day trips. He also had an emersion suit, which he had put on prior to getting in the dingy. All these actions and planning for a maritime emergency helped save his life.”
Man Injured as Boat Bursts into Flames at Lake Ontario Marina
5/23/24 – Huron, NY
One person was flown from the scene on the morning of 23 May, as crews worked to put out a fire that impacted multiple boats on land at a Lake Ontario marina in Wayne County, New York.
Crews responded around 9:15 a.m. to Oak Park Resort Marina in Huron, at the southeast end of Sodus Bay, for an initial report of an explosion in the parking lot. Police said a 65-year-old man from Webster, New York, was cleaning the cabin area of his boat when it burst into flames.
He was able to escape but sustained severe injuries, according to police, and was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital.
"It’s not very common — but given the time of year and the number of boats that are getting ready and the maintenance that’s being done on them, it’s not uncommon" said Wayne County Fire Coordinator Jeremiah Shufelt. "But it's definitely not something that we respond to very frequently."
With four boats damaged, the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Man Rescued Moments Before Boat Sinks into Lake Michigan
5/27/24 – Grand Haven, MI
A man boating Lake Michigan on Memorial Day was facing the possibility of going into the water as his ship sank below the waves, before a "daring" rescue effort brought him to safety.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan says it received a call for help from a man sailing on Lake Michigan on 27 May, saying his ship was going down. Crews from the Coast Guard's Grand Haven station and a helicopter from Traverse City responded.
The Coast Guard vessel made it to the sinking sailboat just in time. The man was found clinging to a railing at the aft of the ship. The bow of the ship, up to the main sail, was already under the water.
The man was pulled aboard the Coast Guard ship moments before the rest of his boat slipped below the waves. The reported depth of Lake Michigan where the ship sank is 300 feet.