Accidents of the Week - November 9, 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.
Two Injured in South Florida Boat Fire
10/25/24 – Miami, FL
Two people were injured in a boat fire off Pelican Harbor Marina in Miami, Florida, according to local news reports.
The local fire department reported that they had responded to the marina in North Bay Village after receiving a call for an “explosive alert.” Firefighters found the boat engulfed in flames.
Coast Guard Rescues Father, Sons After Boat Capsizes
10/26/24 – Honolulu, HI
The Coast Guard rescued one man and two children on 26 October, after their boat capsized off the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders heard a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 12:10 p.m. from a man stating his boat had capsized. The call did not include the boat’s location or further details.
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. An airborne HC-130 Hercules airplane crew also diverted to respond to the distress call.
Coast Guards Calls for Use of PFDs, Marine Radio
The aircrews searched the waters west of Maui, south of Lanai, and west of Kaho’olawe until approximately 5:05 p.m., when the helicopter crew located a capsized 16-foot boat about 7 miles south of Manele Harbor. One man and two boys were clinging to the hull, not wearing life jackets.
The helicopter crew deployed a rescue swimmer, hoisted all three people from the water, and transported the father and his sons, ages 8 and 12, to Kahului Airport in Maui.
“Carrying a handheld marine radio allows you to notify first responders if you end up in the water or separated from your vessel,” said Lt. Zachary Kayser, command duty officer, Sector Honolulu command center. “We recommend all boaters wear life jackets when underway. Emergencies unfold quickly and may not allow enough time to find and fasten a life jacket.”
The man reported his boat had capsized after being swamped by a wave.
Boater with Medical Issues Rescued After Running Aground
10/7/24 – Apalachicola, FL
Law enforcement carried out a dramatic rescue of a man experiencing medical issues on a boat in Florida’s Apalachicola Bay on 7 October.
At nearly 7 p.m. ET, the Tallahassee Regional Communications Center received a call referencing that Thomas Bush, an 81-year-old man from Clearwater, Florida, had run his boat aground and needed assistance to be taken off the boat. The problem was that Bush could not provide a location and said his electronics were not working.
Lt. Steven Cook of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had Officers Derek Sizemore and Mitchell Fernbach head to Carrabelle to launch a vessel.
Bush’s cell phone company said the phone last pinged a cell tower that provided a large search area, which included St. George Sound and portions of the Gulf of Mexico. “We also had the subject activate his emergency function on his Marine VHF radio, and the Coast Guard was able to provide a similar location to the cell phone provider,” said Cook in his report.
Air Assets, Boat, UTVs Mobilized for Rescue
Fernbach and Sizemore began their search for the location, with help from air assets from both the Coast Guard and Air One in Leon County, which was able to spot the vessel on the outside of St. George Island, next to the Dr. Julian G. Bruce St George Island State Park.
“Officers responded by boat but due to the sea conditions and shallow water were unable to reach the vessel,” Cook wrote. Franklin County Officer Landon Nash and Col. Dewayne Coulter launched two UTVs in the park, in order to reach the boat by land, along with the FWC team.
Nash and Cook waded to Bush and helped him into the water and back to shore. “They were in stomach and chest deep water,” said Coulter. An ambulance then transported Bush to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he was recovering.
Jet Skier Arrested After Capsizing Fisherman
10/27/24 – Nassau Co., FL
A Florida man was arrested after being caught in a viral video recklessly riding a personal watercraft and knocking a fisherman out of a kayak.
On 27 October, TikTok user coastalfloats posted a video asking for the public’s help in identifying the unknown jet skier. The video showed the jet skier approach coastalfloat’s boat, causing a wake that rocked the kayak off course.
Moments later, the main jet skier and a second man on another personal watercraft began circling the kayak threateningly before darting off, creating a wake which toppled coastalfloats (and some of his pricey equipment) into the water.
Coast Guard Saves Man, Cat from Adrift Boat in Alaska
10/25/24 – Barren Islands, AK
A man and his cat were reported safe on 25 October, after a US Coast Guard crew rescued them from a boat near the Barren Islands in Alaska.
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew saved the man and his cat at the Kennedy entrance near the Barren Islands. The survivors were taken to a Coast Guard base in Kodiak, Alaska, until the vessel's owner made arrangements to recover the adrift boat.
One Hospitalized After Boat Crashes into Florida Keys Bridge
10/30/24 – Key Largo, FL
One person was taken to hospital after a boat crashed into a bridge in Key Largo, Florida, on 30 October.
According to a spokesperson for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a boat crashed into the Card Sound Bridge around 8:35p.m. The boat type was unknown, but the Coast Guard and Ocean Reef Fire Rescue found multiple people on board, many of them reportedly suffering injuries from the impact.
One person was transported to Jackson South Hospital for treatment, although the extent of their injuries was unknown.
One Dead, 5 Rescued from Overturned Boat
11/3/24 – Los Angeles, CA
One person was found dead and five were rescued from an overturned vessel off the coast of Redondo Beach, California, according to LA County Fire.
Authorities received a call on 3 November about a 26-foot boat overturned. When rescuers arrived, there were five people clinging to the hull. The group consisting of men and women aged 20 to 30 were taken to the harbor to be evaluated.
A dive team was called in to search for a missing passenger. Inside the cabin of the vessel, divers were able to locate a deceased man.
Inexperienced sailors were not recommended to be on the water that day due to high winds, according to fire officials, although it was unclear how the boat had overturned.