Accidents of the Week - March 1, 2025
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Husband, Wife Rescued from Stranded Sailboat
2/15/25 – Jupiter, FL
A husband and wife were thankful to be alive after their boat was grounded on a sandbar in Jupiter, Florida.
Dan Barnickel, with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue (PBCOR), told local news that the incident occurred near the Jupiter Inlet on the morning of 15 February, when lifeguards were alerted to the stranded sailboat.
“They noticed a boat run aground on the sandbar, about 300 yards from shore, and they contacted them on VHF. We have a VHF through our boat rescue program at Jupiter and the lieutenant who spoke to them on VHF was told it was a mayday call, and they were going to abandon the vessel,” he explained.
Grounded Boaters ‘Terrified,’ in ‘Dangerous Situation’
Barnickel said the conditions on the water were a major concern. “It was six-foot seas. It was a very dangerous situation because the boat was aground. There was a lot of debris all around, and it was a 48-year-old female and a 54-year-old male, husband and wife, on their sailboat, and they were terrified,” Barnickel said.
Lifeguards with PBCOR quickly got in the water, two on a rescue board and two on wave runners, and headed towards the boat. “They got them safely off the vessel. Our lifeguards brought them close to shore,” Barnickel explained. The husband and wife were thankfully okay.
Barnickel said not only was the situation dangerous for the couple, but also for rescuers. “The biggest concern was the boat or debris from the boat being pushed by the waves and hitting one of our rescuers,” he added.
While the 40-foot boat eventually sank, Barnickel said he was just glad no one was hurt.
Boater, Dog Rescued by Coast Guard Off Catalina Island
2/15/25 – Los Angeles Co., CA
A boater and his dog were rescued on the evening of 15 February, hours after going missing off the coast of Avalon on Catalina Island.
According to a press release, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) received a call at around 8 p.m. from a man who told them that his friend and dog were missing from the 34-foot sailing vessel he was on.
"The missing individual was last seen four to five hours earlier before reportedly falling asleep," they said. With the help of a USCG helicopter crew, the boater was found in a dinghy nearly 1,400 yards away from the sailing vessel.
The missing boater, who they said was suffering from mild hypothermia, was transported to shore near Cabrillo where he was tended to by awaiting paramedics. A Coast Guard cutter towed the dinghy back to the sailing vessel, which was then towed back to Newport Beach, officials said. No further information was provided.
Firefighters Work to Put Out Boat Blaze
2/19/25 – Destin, FL
Firefighters from multiple agencies were “aggressively working” on 19 February to extinguish a boat fire in Destin, Florida, officials at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) reported.
According to an OCSO Facebook post, firefighters responded to the Harbor Boulevard dock after callers reported that a large boat on a lift was emitting smoke and flames.
Officials said no injuries were reported.
Man Missing After Father, Child Rescued from Boating Accident
2/14/25 – Spanish Fort, AL
Search efforts continued two days after a man went missing following a boat accident in south Alabama.
The missing individual was identified by family as John Dejonge. According to the Police Department in Spanish Fort, Alabama, a boat capsized on Blakely River at about 6 pm on 14 February.
On board were Dejonge, another man and his 2-year-old child. The department stated that all three were thrown into the water after the boat capsized. While the child and his father were able to make it to shore, Dejonge remained missing. Due to severe weather, the search for Dejonge was halted on the night of 15 February, until rescue crews reconvened the following morning.
Police: High Winds Hampered Search & Rescue Operation
According to local news reports, Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber stressed the role that strong winds had played in the accident. “Before the storms arrived, there were high winds,” Barber said.
“We were talking to the individual who was in the boat when they capsized and he described how windy it was; the search and rescue operations last night had to deal with high wind and high waves.”
Despite crews searching all day the following day, Dejonge had not been found yet.
Paddle Boarder Rescued from Austin Lake
2/15/25 – Austin, TX
One person was rescued from Austin's Lady Bird Lake over the weekend of 15 to 16 February.
Fire crews in Austin, Texas, said they responded to the lake around 9:30 p.m. on 15 February, where they found an adult on a paddle board in need of help. The adult was rescued by the Austin Fire Department (AFD) before receiving a medical evaluation from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS).
Paddle Boarder ‘At Risk of Hypothermia’
AFD said cold water temperatures put the person on the paddle board at risk of hypothermia. Crews said the lake was 52 degrees, and pointed out that hypothermia could occur even with water temperatures in the 70s and 80s.
The patient's condition was unclear.
Police Rescue 2 People, Dog from Flipped Boat
2/15/25 – St. Johns Co., FL
Marine Unit Deputies responded to a distress call for a capsized boat and people in the water near the St. Augustine Inlet, south of Jacksonville, Florida. According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJSO), the call came in just before 3pm on 15 February.
SJSO Marine Unit Deputies responded to the distress call while weather conditions on the water were poor, with strong winds and large swells making for rough seas.
SJSO Deputies Michaux and Weintraub located two adults and a dog clinging to the bottom of their overturned boat. Deputy Michaux guided the position of SJSOs vessel and Deputy Weintraub quickly pulled both adults and the dog to safety. St. Johns County Fire Rescue and St. Augustine Fire Department Marine Units also assisted in the response to this rescue call.
The boaters were transported to the Vilano Fishing Pier, and thankfully nobody was injured.
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