Accidents of the Week - March 28, 2026
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Coast Guard Rescues Fishermen 25 Miles Offshore
3/15/26 – Desecheo, PR
US Coast Guard air and surface assets rescued two fishermen aboard a disabled overdue fishing vessel in Mona Passage waters off Desecheo, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, 15 March.
Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a communication from a person who reported an overdue 23-foot pleasure craft with two people on board on the evening of 15 March.
The caller relayed that two fishermen departed a boat ramp near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on the morning of the previous day en route to La Corona fishing grounds. Later that evening, the overdue fishermen informed the reporting source that they were having engine problems.
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast to alert the public and vessel traffic in the area. Watchstanders also diverted the fast response cutter USCGC Joseph Napier and a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft while the medium endurance cutter USCGC Thetis also diverted to search.
Fishermen Shot Off Flare as Coast Guard Approached
Shortly thereafter, the Coast Guard aircrew observed a flare and two people waving their arms from a vessel matching the overdue vessel description, and they proceeded to vector in Joseph Napier to the location. As the cutter arrived on-scene 25 miles offshore, the crew observed a flare being launched from a vessel.
The cutter’s small boat crew came alongside the vessel and confirmed the fishermen as the overdue individuals. With deteriorating weather, heavy winds, scattered rain squalls, and seas building to eight feet, the Joseph Napier small boat crew took the vessel in tow to Mayaguez, where the fishermen were received by awaiting family and friends. The Coast Guard said that no medical concerns were reported in this case.
Man Dies After Fishing Boat Capsizes in High Winds
3/13/26 – Pueblo, CO
High winds and choppy conditions on Colorado’s Lake Pueblo led to a tragic boating accident that left one man dead and another rescued after their fishing boat overturned.
According to authorities, the incident occurred when strong winds and rough waters caused the small fishing vessel to capsize, throwing both people on board into the lake. One of the boaters was quickly rescued by a nearby vessel, but the second man remained in the water for several hours before being recovered.
The Pueblo County Coroner identified the victim as 48-year-old Evans Downie of Howard, Colorado. Officials said Downie was not recovered from the water until nearly nine hours after the boat overturned; his exact cause of death remained under investigation.
Three Rescued from Choppy Waters in Port of Galveston
3/16/26 – Galveston, TX
Three men were rescued on the morning of 16 March after their 16-foot jon boat overturned near Pier 10 at the Port of Galveston, Texas. According to the Port of Galveston Police Department, the incident occurred in choppy waters around 8:30 a.m., involving a small craft with three people on board.
Crew members aboard a passing vessel, a tugboat called Captain Dub Allen, responded and were able to quickly pull all three men from the water. A video from a nearby boat was shared on Facebook.
Port police dispatched their marine unit to the scene. Emergency medical services transported the three men to a local hospital for evaluation, and authorities said the incident was under investigation.
No further details about the cause of the boat capsizing were released at the time.
Man Drowns While Trying to Retrieve Drifting Boat
3/15/26 – Nashville, TN
A 58-year-old man from Hermitage, Tennessee, who was later identified as Nobuyuki Terajima, drowned after trying to retrieve a drifting boat on Tims Ford Lake, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 3:50 p.m. on 15 March at the Devil’s Step Boat Ramp. Investigators said the man had tied his boat to the dock before backing his truck down the ramp. The boat then became unsecured and drifted away from the dock.
Victim Not Wearing PFD: Authorities
Witnesses reported that the man entered the water to retrieve it, but disappeared before reaching the boat.
Search crews from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, and Franklin County Emergency Management began looking for him that afternoon. The search was paused around 8:30 p.m. and resumed the following morning.
Officials said TWRA investigators used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to locate the man’s body around 10:15 a.m. on 16 March. Divers with Franklin County Emergency Management recovered the body about 11 a.m.
Authorities said the man was not wearing a life jacket. This drowning was the third boating-related death on Tennessee waterways in 2026.
3 Teens Rescued After Canoe Capsizes, 1 Missing
3/16/26 – Orange Co., FL
Three teens were rescued and one remained missing after a canoe capsized on central Florida’s Lake Jessamine.
The incident occurred at around 1 p.m. local time on Monday, 16 March, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO). A preliminary investigation indicated four teens were canoeing on Lake Jessamine when the vessel capsized, the sheriff’s office said.
Three teens were rescued, but a fourth was not immediately located, officials added.
Authorities searched for the fourth teen, whose identity was not made public at the time, from the night of 16 March into the morning of the following day, with the OCSO and Orange County Fire Rescue using multiple boats to scan the water and other crews searching the shoreline.
Search efforts were paused at times as adverse weather conditions including strong wind, rain, and lightning created choppy conditions.
Man Dies After Kayak Overturns Off Cape Cod
3/14/26 – Wellfleet, MA
A man died after his kayak overturned in the waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the Wellfleet Fire Department confirmed.
Just after 6 p.m. on 14 March, a kayaker in distress was reported to Wellfleet emergency services. According to Wellfleet Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Clark, the kayaker was wearing a green life jacket and was drifting in the current after his kayak overturned.
Several agencies responded to the search for the kayaker, who was found just after 8 p.m., two hours after the incident was reported. The victim, a 22-year-old man, was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in critical condition, where he later died. His identity was not released at the time, as officials had not yet notified family members.
2 Rescued After Falling from Sailboat in Puget Sound
3/17/26 – Kingston, WA
Two people were rescued and returned home safe after falling from a disabled sailboat in the Puget Sound near Kingston, Washington.
According to North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, the boat became disabled on the water. Crew members from Washington State Ferries quickly launched a rescue boat to pull both people out of the water, then towed their sailboat back to the dock.
Rescuers said the two seemed alert and in good condition.
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