Powerboat Crashes Into...

Coast Guard crews responded to an incident Sunday April 8th in which a 35-foot vessel collided with a seawall at the Miami Beach Marina, Miami Beach, Fla. The Coast Guard Station Miami Beach received a call at approximately 3:30 p.m. over VHF Ch.16 from a passenger aboard the 35-foot SeaVee Kamina, stating their boat had hit the seawall near Miami Beach Marina and five people on board had sustained injuries.

Two boats from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, along with personnel from Miami Beach Fire Rescue and Miami Dade Fire Rescue, were immediately dispatched to the incident site. Three of the injured boaters were brought to Station Miami Beach and transferred to local EMS. The other two boaters were taken aboard the second Coast Guard rescue boat and transported to Station Miami Beach where they were transferred to awaiting EMS.

"This case highlights the life-saving benefits of having a VHF radio on your vessel," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil, public affairs officer for the Seventh Coast Guard District. "VHF radios and devices like Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) help take the search out of search and rescue, allowing us to get help to mariners in distress faster."

O'Neil says boaters planning to purchase a VHF radio should consider buying a model that has Digital Selective Calling, or DSC, which when activated automatically broadcasts an encoded distress call that can be picked up by response agencies as well as nearby vessels equipped with a DSC capable radio.