Accidents of the Week - September 7, 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.
Coast Guard, Navy Rescue Woman, Child from Sailboat
8/24/24 – Honolulu, HI
After a distress call was received by the U.S. Coast Guard, a 47-year-old woman, her 7-year-old daughter, and their pets were rescued from a sailboat 925 miles off Oahu.
On the afternoon of 24 August, the Coast Guard received a mayday call from the sailboat located east of Honolulu. Upon arrival, rescuers discovered that the vessel had been damaged by severe weather.
Crews found a deceased man aboard the boat along with the woman and child. With assistance from the U.S. Navy, the rescue operation successfully brought the woman, her daughter, a cat, and a tortoise to safety on the afternoon of 25 August. However, due to adverse weather conditions, crews were unable to recover the body of the deceased man.
The sailboat remained adrift in the ocean.
Two Injured in New Jersey Boat Explosion
8/28/24 – Old Bridge, NJ
Two people were injured after a boat exploded at a marina in New Jersey on 28 August. Authorities said officers responded to a boat explosion at the Raritan Marina, located at 1707 Rt. 35 in Laurence Harbor in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
The explosion launched a 57-year-old resident into the water. He was pulled out by bystanders with burns to his face and legs, and was airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, for treatment. A 47-year-old resident of South Amboy, New Jersey, suffered blast injuries from glass to his stomach and arms. He was taken to Bayshore Medical Center for treatment.
First responders, including police, fire and EMS crews quickly arrived at the scene to aid the injured and secure the area. FDNY marine teams also responded and helped local fire departments.
The charred-out boat eventually sank from the weight of the water as fire crews put out the flames. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, but officials said the incident did not appear to be suspicious. The marina was closed due to the investigation.
NOAA Claims Ownership of Watercraft Found in Harbor
8/12/24 – La Salle, MI
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claimed ownership of a previously unidentified watercraft found lodged beneath a boat in a harbor in Monroe County, Michigan, on 12 August, prompting a response from multiple agencies while authorities worked to remove it from the water.
According to a statement from a spokesperson for NOAA, the craft was a remotely-piloted, semi-autonomous, uncrewed surface SeaTrac vessel that researchers use in collecting data. The spokesperson said researchers had intended to guide the machine toward shore to collect water samples and monitor Lake Erie for harmful algal blooms on the morning of 11 August.
Between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. the previous day, the SeaTrac craft was struck by a privately-owned recreational boat, NOAA said. No injuries were reported in relation to the incident.
Multiple agencies responded to the marina after a watercraft was found overturned with what authorities initially described as unidentified surveillance equipment on board. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the LaSalle Fire Department, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Border Patrol were all at the scene while the craft was in the water, wedged beneath another boat.
Three Men Rescued from Bridge After Canoe Sinks
8/23/24 – Virginia Beach, VA
A night fishing trip turned into a nightmare for three men on 24 August, after their canoe sank and left them stranded under the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The men all walked away unscathed, thanks to a group of good Samaritans coming to the rescue on another boat. However, after witnessing the ordeal and capturing it on video, a local woman wanted visitors to be aware of a danger that was often overlooked: the strong current under the LesnerBridge.
Olivia Kang, who captured the rescue on video, said she was on a friend’s boat with six others at around 10:30 p.m., when they noticed something unusual under the bridge. “We saw some man’s hand sticking out and he kind of yelled for help,” says Kang. “As soon as we pulled up, we saw their canoe had sunk.” Kang said there were two men sitting in the water and one man clinging onto one of the pylons.
Rescuers Included Captains, Firefighter, Navy SEAL
She later learned that while they were fishing, their canoe filled with water and sank. Their phones weren’t working after being submerged in water for so long, leaving them with no way to call for help.
Thankfully, the stranded men were in very capable hands: according to Kang there was a Navy SEAL, a firefighter, and two captains with her on the boat. Nevertheless, the rescue was tricky because “the two older gentlemen had a kind of hard time getting up. Neither of them knew how to swim, so we didn’t want to take their life jackets off of them,” said Kang. “That’s what made it hard getting them through the pylons.”
One Dead, Two Missing After Boat Hits Jetty
9/2/24 – Saybrook, CT
One person died after a boat crash in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on the night of 2 September, while two others remained missing and five people were hospitalized. The search for the missing boaters was suspended overnight and resumed the following morning.
A 31-foot motorboat carrying nine people struck a jetty at the mouth of the Connecticut River around 9:15 p.m. while returning from Block Island, according to the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Several 911 calls came in about the crash and rescue crews found the boat half submerged and significantly damaged.
One man was found dead in the vessel and six people were taken to the hospital, according to DEEP. The boat operator was in critical condition, said Captain Keith Williams, of the Connecticut Environmental Police. Two people were still missing.
Crews Search for Missing Person After Boat Overturns
8/29/24 – Frankfort, MI
Crews were searching for a boater who went missing in Lake Michigan on 29 August.
According to Fire and Rescue in Frankfort, Michigan, a boat capsized northwest of the Frankfort pier at 7:05 a.m. The boat was occupied by two people, one of whom was rescued by a Good Samaritan. That person was transported to shore where they received medical treatment.
Dive teams and marine units were searching for a second person, officials said. Benzie County EMS and U.S. Coast Guard Station Manistee also responded to the scene.
Man Rescued from Boat Fire on Lake St. Clair
8/27/24 – Harrison, MI
A boat ride home took a dangerous turn on Lake St. Clair, Michigan, on 27 August, as seen on cell phone video.
A day after watching his boat go up in smoke, Bill Frohreip, Jr. shared his experience: "I’m cruising along, going for a few minutes," he said. "Next thing I hear is these alarms going off. I figured I’d check it out. I open the engine compartment and smoke is coming out. Then I heard these guys start yelling 'You’re on fire.'"
Frohreip said he grabbed his life jacket and radioed for help as nearby boaters rushed to his assistance. "Smoke was really getting to me, I was disoriented," Frohreip said. "I got to the bow. I jumped in, and they put me in their Donzi (boat)."
Officer Praises Boater for Donning PFD, Radioing for Help
Lieutenant Gary Wiegand, with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, explained that "from this vantage point, you could see the boat and the black plume of smoke." Lt. Wiegand said that first responders put the fire out in 30 minutes, although the boat was a total loss.
Wiegand said that in this high-stakes emergency, Frohreip did the right thing: "He knew where the life jackets were at on his boat. He put a life jacket on right away. He got to his ship-to-shore radio and called for help. As he realized this fire was too large for him to stay on the vessel, he did the right thing and got off the boat," Wiegand said.
One Injured in Long Island Boat Fire
9/1/24 – Long Island, NY
A fire broke out on a boat in Lindenhurst, New York, on the afternoon of 1 September, injuring one passenger, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
Police responded to the fire at around 3:56 p.m. The boat was docked at the Anchorage Yacht Club Marina on East Shore Road. The injured passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Stone Brook University Hospital, officials said. Another passenger was present but not injured, police said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.