Labor Day week end fatal crash

[PascalG]

This happened last week end, a sobering reminder of how quickly things can downhill on the water. A 17 year old killed, at least one more in critical condition and multiple non life threatening injuries. This article gives the most details on what happened after numerous inaccurate lame stream media reports

A few lessons to be learned …

If you observe an accident or incident, call the USCG in ch16 immediately. In this case, it took 20 minutes for the USCG to be alerted by a 911 operator. Calling 911 on a cell phone helps but so does ch16. It also alerts any nearby vessel to render assistance immediately

14 people on 28/30 footer is a lot. While legal, there will be people in front of the helm restricting the operator visibility forward

At 20/25kts it takes only a few seconds to get in a position where an allusion with a marker or piling is unavoidable Nothing wrong about slowing down in a narrow channel especially with oncoming traffic.

Thankfully alcohol wasn’t a factor, for a change.

Coast Guard News

Semper nostra optima

coastguardnews.com

 

[boatbum]

Just trying to understand the predicament. I am thinking he was headed South because Elliot is North of Ocean, and they talked to the marker being the last one to guide folks through the narrow channel. Then there is this; “he turned to check and make sure all of the girls were OK and that’s when he hit the channel marker.”.
Indeed 14 people in that size boat is IMHO way too crowded. I wonder if he had enough preservers. Anyway, he took his eye off the helm to check on the kids. Maybe hopped a wake and wanted to make sure they were all still in the boat and ok. Speed unreasonable for circumstances kind of situation? Horrible result. The one kid was a doll.

 

[Bruce Herrington]

With that many people onboard, surely one of them could have alerted the operator about the marker..

 

[boatbum]

Many were young, and most probably preoccupied with the events of the day etc..