Accidents of the Week - October 28, 2023
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.
Pontoon Runs Aground, Branch Nearly Swipes Driver
10/21/23 – Osage, MO
A boater was thankful to escape from a grounding incident largely unscathed in the Lake of the Ozarks.
According to Lake Tow, which towed the grounded Sundancer pontoon, the driver explained that the boat had started veering hard to the starboard side, "which I can believe because the right hand [pontoon] had water in it, and even more after I pulled it off the beach…" Lake Tow operator Travis Coleman told local reporters.
The out-of-control boat reportedly veered up onto the gravelly shoreline, where a low-hanging branch just barely missed the operator's head. The incident happened around the 7 Mile Marker of the lake’s Big Niangua Arm.
Woman Dies After PWC Crash in Miami
10/22/23 – Miami, FL
A woman was killed when her personal watercraft crashed near the Venetian Marina in Miami on the evening of 22 October, prompting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to launch an investigation. According to the FWC, it happened shortly after 6 p.m. out on the water by the Venetian Islands near Pace Picnic Island.
Miami Fire Rescue crews met their marine crew counterparts at the marina and they rushed a man and a 26-year-old woman to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Authorities said the man had suffered serious injuries to one of his legs.
Body of Man Who Jumped Off PWC Found in Lake
10/21/23 – Gwinnett Co., GA
The body of a man who jumped off his personal watercraft into Georgia’s Lake Lanier has been recovered.
Walter Jaurez Guardado, 37, of Roswell, Georgia, had reportedly gone to East Bank Park off the Burford Dam Road with his girlfriend on 21 October. While riding on the lake on a personal watercraft, Guardado jumped off and tried to swim back to shore. His girlfriend said he never turned up.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, along with Hall County Fire, conducted a search of the water on 21 and 22 October. Divers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed that they had found Guardado approximately 20 feet underwater on 23 October. Officials said he had drowned.
Kayaker Rescued After Overturning in Frigid Lake
10/21/23 – Long Lake, MI
A kayaker who had been overturned in a frigid lake for about an hour was rescued by a Michigan State Police (MSP) trooper and a local boater, officials said.
At about 1:50 p.m. on Saturday, 21 October, Trooper Park from the MSP Traverse City Post responded to a 911 call from a distressed kayaker who had overturned on Long Lake, in Traverse City’s Long Lake Township. According to MSP, the temperature outside at that time was 47 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water temperature was 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rescued Kayaker Treated for Hypothermia
A man on the shoreline with a boat helped Trooper Park rescue the kayaker, who was shivering and had started to lose fine motor skills. The kayaker was identified as a 37-year-old West Olive man.
"A Long Lake Fire Department member arrived on another vessel operated by local citizens," said MSP in a release. "The local citizens, with help from Long Lake Fire Department personnel, were able to recover the kayak and other belongings." The kayaker was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Police Suspend Search for Man Missing After Boat Sinks
10/22/23 – Westport, CT
Police suspended the search for a remaining boater on the morning of 25 October after a boat sank in Westport, police confirmed. Westport police had been searching for two missing men after a small boat sank near Cockenoe Island on the afternoon of 21 October.
The body of Juan Gabriel Valle Pineda, 38, of Spring Valley, was found at approximately 4:30 p.m. on 23 October about three miles north of the sunken boat. The search for the second man was suspended again on the night of 23 October after being restarted that morning. Pineda’s body was sent to the chief medical examiner for an autopsy. Westport Lieutenant Eric Wood said further efforts to recover the second victim had been called off pending further developments.
One Boater Rescued from Buoy, Two More Pulled from Water
A boater spotted a man standing on a navigational buoy at on 21 October and alerted police, who retrieved the man from the buoy. Police then rescued a second man and a woman from the water. The three individuals were transported to a hospital for evaluation. After retrieving a translator, police were able to learn that there were five people on the boat when it sank.
Police said they had determined that the small fishing boat was anchored on the southside of Cockenoe Island after 9:30 p.m. when it sank due to the choppy waters. The two men were from Spring Valley, New York and Suffern, New York, according to police.
100-Foot Yacht Catches Fire at Miami Dock; No Injuries Reported
10/20/23 – Miami, FL
Officials are investigating after a boat caught on fire in Miami. City of Miami Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze at a dock near the MacArthur Causeway, at around 10:30 p.m. on 20 October.
Officials said crews arrived to find the fire on the 100-foot vessel was nearly out. Firefighters sprayed water on the boat to finish putting out the flames. Fortunately, no one was injured.