Accidents of the Week - September 16, 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.

Man Hospitalized After Boat Hits Branch, Flips Over

9/3/23 – Rockford, IL

 Law enforcement highlighted the importance of boating safety after a pontoon boat flipped over on the Rock River, in Illinois, trapping the operator underneath.

A video recording showed the moment on 3 September when a pontoon boat hit a tree branch and flipped over in the Rock River. The driver, who was trapped under the watercraft, survived thanks to the quick actions of bystanders.

“The individual was reportedly under the boat initially,” said Sgt. Philip Wire of the Illinois Conservation Police. “Bystanders came by and were able to pull him out from underneath from the boat.” Wire said the man had sustained severe injuries.

“If you’re going out on a body of water where you haven’t gone out before, make sure that there’s no debris in the water, make sure you’re familiar with it,” he said. The driver remained in the hospital while investigators figured out the moments leading up to the incident and what charges, if any, would be filed.

“When you reconstruct the boat, you can see exactly what happened, where it struck something, was there a mechanical malfunction,” Wire said.

Yacht Catches Fire at Florida Marina

9/4/23 – Lantana, FL

For the second time in two days, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (PBCFR) were called out to extinguish a boat fire near the Loggerhead Marina in Lantana, Florida.

At about 3:15 p.m. on 4 September, the agency responded to a yacht fire in the 800 block of East Windward Way near the Intracoastal Waterway. Crews found a 40-foot yacht fully engulfed in a slip in the middle of the dock.

Smoke alarms on the boat woke two people on board and they were able to escape and were taken to area hospitals, PBCFR reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Boat Beached During Rescue of Overturned Kayaker

9/3/23 – Erie, PA

Calls went out for an overturned kayak several hundred yards off of Shades Beach around 2:30 p.m. on 3 September.

According to an eyewitness on the scene, crews identified a yellow kayak in the water, but there was no one inside. Shortly after, the kayak’s owner was found in the water with a lifejacket on and was taken to shore by first responders, who were working in choppy conditions.

Those conditions were so rough that the emergency services boat began to take in water and was beached, rendering the rescue boat useless. First responders said that the victim had suffered a head injury, but that due to the location of the beached rescue boat, access was limited by cliffs surrounding the beach.

According to a post from the US Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, they received a call from the Coast Guard station in Buffalo about the kayaker. Once the helicopter crew arrived on the scene, they assisted first responders and were able to airlift the victim to UPMC Hamot. Meanwhile, other emergency crews came for the stranded first responders.

Over a Dozen People Pulled from Water after Boating Accident

9/4/23 – Piermont, NJ

More than a dozen people needed to be rescued after a boating accident in Alpine, New Jersey, in the early hours of 4 September, according to officials.

Divers needed to be deployed due to low tide. The Piermont Fire Department assisted in the search for a second disabled vessel, which was part of the same group, and located it a quarter mile north of the George Washington Bridge shipping channel.

The seven people from the second vessel were taken back to shore safely.

Flames Engulf Boat in Marina Del Rey

9/3/23 – Los Angeles, CA

 A boat fire was caught on video in Marina Del Rey late on 3 September. The fire was reported around 11:35 p.m. in the area of Basin B and Tahiti Way, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson confirmed.

Arriving firefighters found the 40-foot vessel engulfed in flames. The marina was packed with people for the holiday weekend and many had to evacuate from nearby boats.

Seth Vernon, who witnessed the fire, said the owners were not on the boat. “They were actually in the middle of remodeling and refinishing the interior … It’s really sad for them,” Vernon said.

Firefighters controlled the blaze shortly before midnight, the spokesperson said. No injuries were reported and no other boats caught fire in the incident.

Boat Catches Fire on Lake Huron

9/4/23 – Sanilac Co., MI

A boat caught fire on Lake Huron on 4 September, just offshore of Port Sanilac, Michigan.

The U.S. Coast Guard station in Port Huron reported that it had been notified of the fire and that a fire department crew from Sanilac County was responding.

The Coast Guard later reported that all occupants of the boat had managed to get off safely, but there was no word from the authorities on what had started the fire.

Three Rescued Off Georgia Coast After Boat Sinks

9/4/23 – Liberty Co., GA

Three people had to be rescued over the weekend of 2 to 3 September, after their boat started taking on water and sank off the Georgia coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it had been called out to St. Catherine’s Sound on 3 September, after three people ended up stranded on a sandbar when their boat sank. Pictures posted by the Guard on Facebook showed the capsized boat.

The Coast Guard said that a crew of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) arrived at the scene minutes later and helped get the people back to dry land.

Pontoon Boat with 4 People on it Crashes; Driver Charged

9/4/23 – McHenry, IL

The driver of a pontoon boat was arrested and at least two passengers were taken to the hospital after a Labor Day crash on the Fox River, near the Snuggery in McHenry, Illinois, according to a state official.

Operator charged with BWI

The boat came onshore late on 4 September and crashed into a guardrail near the Snuggery after missing a sharp turn in the Fox River, declared Jayette Bolinski, director of Communications for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Four people were in the boat, and at least two were taken to Northwestern Hospital McHenry, according to Bolinski.

Illinois Conservation Police charged the boat’s driver, Dagoberto Villarreal-Galvan, 49, of Wadsworth, with careless operation of a watercraft and operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol, Bolinski added.

Boat Sinks After Catching Fire Near New York’s City Island

9/5/23 – New York, NY

 A boat caught fire near New York’s City Island on 5 September, with New York Fire Department (FDNY) sources saying that the blaze began after the boat crashed into a pillar just before 6 p.m.

Officials said about 60 FDNY members responded to the fire and were able to prevent flames from spreading to the dock and surrounding buildings. The boat sank at around 6:30 p.m.

Police reported that a 41-year-old man had suffered severe arm trauma. A police officer applied a tourniquet, and the patient was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. A firefighter was also taken to a local hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.