# ReleasableAccidents

BARDID: TX-2023-0100
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:41:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0192 CONROE
NearestCityTown: MONTGOMERY
County: 170 MONTGOMERY
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentCause2: Restricted vision
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at approximately 2140 hours, this unit 8152, Deputy (Montgomery County Pct. 1 Constable's Office) was dispatched to a boat taking on water near Marina View Drive in Walden, Montgomery, Texas, 77356. On my arrival I observed a 1998 Chris Craft swamping with water over the bow and up the gunwale on both sides. Two victims wearing life jackets were being assisted off the boat by Conroe Fire Department (Fireboat). Additional passengers were on board a pontoon of a good Samaritan in the area. We made contact with the pontoon boat and the Fireboat and learned all passengers were recovered and no injuries were reported. Tow Boat US was contacted and made the scene and recovered the vessel. All passengers were transported to Walden Marina. 
The owner and operator of the vessel, stated his vessel was drifting and not engaged when an unknown vessel took off at a high rate of speed near them, causing his vessel to swamp and begin taking on water. 
Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable case will be linked to this report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0101
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:17:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0368 HOUSTON
NearestCityTown: HOUSTON
County: 100 HARDIN
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Ignition of spilled fuel or vapor
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Fire/explosion (non-fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
On 07/04/2023 at 1817 hours Houston Police Department Marine Unit Officer and Sgt, were dispatched to and arrived at the same time to a boat accident, located in the blue zone of Lake Houston. Lake Houston is in the City of Houston, Harris County, Texas. This was a one vessel accident involving a three seat PCW (jet Ski) with the operator and two passengers aboard. The operator was identified and her passengers. Occupant 1 was sitting in the middle seat and 2 was sitting on the rear of the seat. While operating the vessel, O1 inadvertently capsized the PWC sending all 3 passengers into the water. The kill switch was activated and immediately shut off the vessels motor. After flipping the PWC back over to the upright position the three riders were able to reboard. When O1 reattached her lanyard to the kill switch in order to restart the PWC, there was an immediate exolosion from within the vessel that threw all thee of them back into the water. Nearbv boaters who itnessed the incident onto their boats and took them to the nearby Lake Houston Marina and called 911. The scene was located in the "Blue Zone" of Lake Houston. 

This zone begins at the McKay Bridge (FM1960 Bridge) and encompasses the area north of the McKay Bridge to the entrances of the East and West forks of the San Jacinto river. The water was fairly calm at the time with no white caps visible. The water temperature at the time was 91 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather was 96 degrees and partly cloudy. The vessel was a Yamaha Nano-X-Cel bearing hull number US with a registration number. The vessel was rated for three occupants and white in color. Officers observed the vessel to have large cracks in the fiberglass in multiple locations clearly caused by the explosion. Officer gathered statements and information from complaints and witnesses. Officers 1 and 2 towed the vessel to the Lake Houston Marina and transferred custody to the owner of the vessel, owner. HFD checked on the medical status of all involved and they did not require or request additional medical attention. Officers determined that the vessel capsized, likely causing gas fumes to build in the engine compartment. Officers believe that an electric spark ignited the fumes when the complainant attempted to place the automatic engine shut off switch back to restart the vessel. No citations were issued, nor arrests made, at the time of the crash.


BARDID: TX-2023-0102
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:35:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0743 TRAVIS
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On 07/08/2023 at approximately 1636 hrs i, deputy was dispatched to emerald point marina in reference to an assist ems. Information given was 18yof fell off the back of the boat and hit the water with her face. 

The boat pulled in directly in front of us and i was able to get the tx number as:
26ft cobalt
White over black open bow ski boat

I noticed the injured female on the back of the boat laying supine when they pulled next to the marina store. Fd and ems met us at marina where after speaking with occupants stated the female lost consciousness and was complaining of neck and back pain. She was identified. 
She was wake boarding behind the boat when she lost balance and struck the water face first. She stated she was face down in the water for approximately 10 seconds prior to them getting her on the boat. 

Driver--- stated he was not going faster than 15mph when the incident occurred. He stated there was nothing in the water that she could have struck. I noticed damage to the wake board but he stated it was like that before the incident occurred.

She was transported to st davids round rock by ems for further evaluation.


BARDID: TX-2023-0103
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:53:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0192 CONROE
NearestCityTown: WILLIS
County: 170 MONTGOMERY
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
I, Deputy was dispatched to the FM 1097 Bridge located on Lake Conroe. The nearest land address is Sunset Shores On Lake Conroe located at 14811 FM 1097 in Willis, Texas 77318 located just east of where the incident occurred. While going approximately 15 MPH the boats center console struck the bottom of the bridge causing the center console to be detached from the Hull. Prior to my arrival the operator of the vessel was transported by MCHD Ambulance to HCA Houston (Conroe) for further evaluation.

 I learned that the male had received a small laceration to his forehead near his left eyebrow and also complained of abdominal pain. The vessel was towed by TowBoatUS to their dock located in Willis, Texas 77318. The male is in stable condition and there is no serious injuries.


BARDID: TX-2023-0104
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-15 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0522 NASWORTHY
County: 226 TOM GREEN
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
 I learned there had been a boating accident that involved injuries on Lake Nasworthy. Due to call notes advising that the possible victims were still in the water near the location given I responded to the Police Departments boat house to respond on the patrol boat. Myself and Officer arrived and were flagged down at the boat dock. I observed several subjects on scene who were in the water, along with jet skis and a boat. 
I exited off the patrol boat onto land and observed two male subjects who were both on a jet ski being assisted by subjects on scene. The two males later identified both had visible injuries O2 was bleeding from the forehead, he was assisted off and onto land. O1 was complaining of arm pain and had scratches to his right upper arm, he was also assisted off the jet ski and onto land. 
Medics arrived and began to administer first aid, during this I learned the jet skis on scene that were involved Vessel #1 TX () and Vessel #2 TX () were rentals. I made contact with the owner of Water Dawgs and asked her to come and retrieve the jet skis. I informed the owner who arrived and took possession that officers would respond to their office and continue the investigation. I found the jet skis did not appear to sustain any observable damage, other than Vessel #2 TX that had a missing right mirror and it was unknown what came into contact with it, causing it to break off. 
No witnesses to the accident were located, contact was made, who were on scene at the listed residence. Both stated they did not see the initial accident but observed the two males in the water and assisted them to the location given by dispatch. 

Both were transported to Shannon Hospital Downtown by medics for further treatment. I left the scene and responded to continue my investigation. I spoke to O1 who was on Vessel #1 TX() following behind O2 about 50-60ft. He stated he quickly observed a wake in front of him and could see that he was about to make contact with the jet ski O2 was operating, so he quickly steered to the right this causing him to be ejected off. He stated that he got back onto his jet ski and observed O2 floating face up and bleeding from his head, so he went over and assisted him onto his jet ski and placed him in front of him. They arrived to the dock where officers made contact with them. I asked O1 how he sustained his cuts to his arm and he stated that he does not know how it happened. 
O2 stated he was traveling around 30-35 mph and observed a boat quickly move in front of him, to avoid contact he quickly steered to the left. This causing him to be ejected over the top of the jet ski and into the water. O2 stated he blacked out and does not know how he further injured himself. 
It appeared that both subjects sustained non life threatening injuries at this time, so I left the hospital and went back into service. At the conclusion of my investigation I was unable to determine if the jet skis had made contact with one another or determine a violation that may of contributed to the accident. No citations were issued. With the injuries sustained by both operators it appeared that they may of came into with one another but its unknown. There were no witnesses located and both subjects advised they could not recall how the injuries were sustained.


BARDID: TX-2023-0106
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 01:30:00
State: TX
NearestCityTown: Bagwell
County: 194 RED RIVER
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Drug
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On 7/11/2023, at approximately 1:30 am, I State Game Warden received a call from the Red River County sheriff's office. Dispatch stated they had a possible missing person. The reporting party had told dispatch that Subject1 had gone fishing on a kayak earlier that day and had not returned. Once the Red River County Sheriff's deputy arrived on the scene located off CR 2110 in Bagwell TX, he gathered information from the reporting party and searched the area around the lake for Subject1. 

Deputy then contacted me and stated that he had located a blue kayak floating on the south side of the lake but no sign of Subject1. I Informed Deputy that we (Texas Game Wardens) would have a department-issued vessel equipped with side-scan sonar on scene at daylight in order to search the lake. At approximately 7:00 am, I received a call from Deputy, and he stated that he just received another call from the reporting party, claiming they had located the body of Subject1 floating close to his kayak. I informed Deputy that I would be en route. Once I arrived on scene, I, along with Red River County deputies recovered the body of Subject1 and he was released to Clarksville funeral home.


BARDID: TX-2023-0108
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0182 COLORADO CITY
NearestCityTown: Colorado City
County: 168 MITCHELL
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 07/04/2023 I, Texas Game Warden, was contacted by the MCSO’s dispatch stating that two jet skis had collided on lake Colorado City in Mitchell County, Texas. I then contacted Game Wardens to respond to the accident due to me being out of the county. 

Additional information later received confirmed that a 12-year-old female had been severely injured. 

After interviewing multiple witnesses, it was found out that vessel 2 was allegedly ridden by two occupants (1 adult male 1 juvenile female) vessel 1 had only a single occupant (juvenile 12-year-old female). Witnesses stated that Vessel 2 made a wide turn before accelerating toward vessel 1 and impacting the port side of vessel 1 with the bow of the vessel at a high speed. This collision caused vessel 2 to fully override vessel 1 and become airborne.  All occupants of both vessels were thrown off. All occupants were wearing life jackets at the time of the vessel accident. 

Vessel 2 was allegedly driven and a 7-year-old female juvenile. Vessel 1 was driven by the 12-year-old juvenile who was injured. O2 later stated that the female juvenile grabbed the throttle and that was the cause of the accident.

Vessel 1 was severally damaged at the midsection and engine compartment. Vessel 2 had damage to its bow and hull.

This accident is still under investigation.


BARDID: TX-2023-0109
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0714 TAWAKONI
NearestCityTown: Point
County: 190 RAINS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Failure to vent
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
Description of accident from occupant and owner of the vessel at the time of the fire:

"Pulled out of cove got 45 yards away from shore when I saw a very small puff of white smoke come from back of boat. I told my husband and he stopped moving forward. Approximately 30-45 seconds after he stopped the engine blew up. There was fire coming from ending about 3ft high. My in laws were in front of us and came to our aid." 

Wardens were not notified of accident at the time. We discovered through social media and followed up. completed owner/operator vessel accident report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0110
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0451 LIVINGSTON
NearestCityTown: COLDSPRING
County: 204 SAN JACINTO
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Fire/explosion (unknown origin)
AccidentEvent3: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On July 25th, 2023, at approximately 9:00PM the vessel described struck a submerged object believed to be a stump and not visible at the time of day in which the accident occurred. The vessel engine stopped on impact, the motor was raised to check damage it backfired upon starting, igniting a small fire that was immediately put out via extinguisher causing little to no damage per the owner/operator. The vessel then began to take on water, after approximately 5 minutes the operator abandoned ship and swam to shore from the sinking vessel. The swim was approximately 75 yards from the vessel to the owner's dock. The owner attempted to retrieve the vessel that evening without success and the vessel was towed to shore the following day by a local fire department.


BARDID: TX-2023-0111
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1543 SIMS BAYOU
NearestCityTown: houston
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Improper loading
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
A police report was completed through Houston Police Dept as well as supplemental reports with on scene officers. HPD Case 574803-23 4200 galveston road -4-24-2023

As reported by officer with Houston Police dept

Complainant, who is homeless, had received a tax return and purchased a canoe. He and Complainant2, the decedent, went fishing in the canoe. Complainant2 stood up in the canoe causing it to flip over and throw bot complainants into the water.

Witness observed two males in the water and they appeared to be drowning. Witness observed complainant2 gasp for air and then go under the water and lost sight of him. Witness ran to a truck and grab a rope to toss to the owner. Owner was transported to the hospital and was taking breathing treatments but is expected to  survive.

Houston Police Dive team was called out to search and recover the victim. Boat was found and tagged in HPD Property room.


BARDID: TX-2023-0112
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:02:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0316 GRANBURY
NearestCityTown: GRANBURY
County: 111 HOOD
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On this day Operator of Vessel #1 stated that he was headed downstream towards the dam area to fish. Vessel #1 struck a floating log in the lake which caused the boat to take on water. 

Vessel #1 was able to get to a nearby dock at the Pecan Plantation Marina on Lake Granbury. Vessel #1 was able to keep the vessel from sinking by running the bilge pump continuously until he was able to load the vessel onto its trailer. Vessel had scratches on the keel but no other significant damage. It was further discovered that running over the log dislodged his screw in type rubber plug. This caused the water intrusion into vessel #1


BARDID: TX-2023-0113
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:02:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0316 GRANBURY
NearestCityTown: GRANBURY
County: 111 HOOD
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
Operator of Vessel #1 along with his passengers left the boat ramp at Hunter Park on Lake Granbury and headed downstream for a day on the lake. 
Operator of Vessel #1, not being too firmiliar with Lake Granbury and its many submerged hazards, did not follow the channel markers that show the clearest and often deepest part of the lake. 
Operator of Vessel #1, about 1 O minutes into their trip, was in an area with many stumps that lie just under the surface of the water. The vessel struck one of these submerged stumps with its propeller damaging the propeller and possibly the drive system of the vessel. 
Vessel #1 also had damage to the hull in two places where it appears a piece of the stump got caught in the propeller and caused gashes in the hull. These were not bad enough for the hull to be breeched.


BARDID: TX-2023-0114
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1530 SAN JACINTO RIVER
NearestCityTown: Sheldon
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
At Approximately 530 on 06242023 two jet ski's collided at approximate grid coordinate N 29.8807676°, W -095.0960513 located on the San Jacinto River, Harris County, Texas, just southeast of Magnolia Gardens located at 18041 Riverside St, Houston, Texas 77044. Vessel (1) 2013 Gray/Silver Yamaha rental jet ski  operated by O1 with passenger was traveling south at approximate speed 10 MPH. Vessel (2) 2020 Black/Blue/Turquoise Kawasaki Jet ski, operated by O2 with passenger was traveling west at approximate speed 20 to 40 MPH. 

As Vessel 2 headed west it violated the 50-foot rule by passing within 2 feet of an island with vegetation on its starboard side at greater than headway speed, which incidentally also blocked the operator and passengers view of vessel 1 traveling south. As vessel 2 got to the end of the island vessel 1 was now directly in front of Vessel 2. Vessel 1 was the stand on vessel and vessel 2 was the give way vessel, which would require Vessel 2 to alter speed and/or direction to avoid Vessel 1. Vessel 2 attempted to turn starboard to avoid Vessel 1, but the speed and distance proximity to Vessel 1 was too great resulting in Vessel 2 hitting Vessel 1 on the port side at an approximate 310 degree angle overriding Vessel 1 and striking the passenger of Vessel 1 causing the passenger to eject into the water. 
Personal Floatation Devices (inherently Buoyant) were worn by all operators and passengers. 
Vessel 1 sustained a cracked side railing on the port side approximately 12 inches in length estimated 500$ worth of damage. 
Vessel 2 sustained transfer marks and scrapes to the bottom side of the hull estimated damage 500$. 
The passenger of Vessel 1 was taken to HCA Houston ER (9711 N Sam Houston Pkwy E, Humble, Texas 77396). Passenger of Vessel 1 sustained a contusion to the abdomen, broken rib on the left side, small laceration to the left ankle, and severe swelling to the left leg and ankle. 
No other injuries were reported. 
Operator of Vessel 2 was issued a citation for violation of the 50-foot rule.


BARDID: TX-2023-0115
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0646 BOB SANDLIN
NearestCityTown: Pittsburg
County: 032 CAMP
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
V1 had launched and tied his PWC bearing to the end of the dock at the public boat ramp on the south side of the FM 21 bridge on Lake Bob Sandlin and was going to park his truck.  While Operator was going to park his truck Operator 2 approached the dock on his PWC heading straight towards the port side of docked PWC.  

Upon approaching the other PWC. Operator 2 said he meant to switch his PWC in reverse but instead went to neutral and collided with the port side of the docked PWC with the nose of his PWC.


BARDID: TX-2023-0116
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 02:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0743 TRAVIS
NearestCityTown: Lago Vista
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Narrative
On Sunday July 16, 2023, at approximately 9:00 AM, I, Texas Game Warden, received a phone call from Texas Game Warden. Warden informed me that he received a call from Travis County Sheriff’s Office and that there was a vessel collision that happened that morning at approximately 2:00AM. It was later learned that the collision occurred on Lake Travis (Coordinates: 30.463150, -98.031217). Travis County Land units were the first to respond to the call. No Standard Field Sobriety Test was conducted while they were on scene.  I was later informed by Travis County water units Deputy and Travis County Deputy that the vessel collided with a dock. The dock was owned by located at Paradise Cove Marble Falls Texas.  Additionally, it was learned that 4 out of 7 individuals on the vessel were sent to the hospital for injuries. The operator of the Malibu 23MXZ was identified. The four injured individuals were identified. The other two non-injured passengers were Identified . Owner was also identified as the owner of the vessel. Through interviews, it was learned that earlier that day, owner picked up others by boat from the other side of the lake at Cody Park They then drove to the B &B that was located at the other side. It was also learned that everyone was consuming alcohol at the B &B. At the end of their festivities, all the individuals got in the vessel to return, back to their residence. On the way to drop off the 4 individuals, they collided with the dock. After the collision 911 was called where they were advised to meet EMS at Collier Cove Boat Ramp. 


Equipment Failure
	No equipment failure was found.
Alcohol
	Alcohol was consumed by all passengers and by the operator. No drugs were consumed. 
PFD
	No PFD’s were worn during or after the collision.

Possible Contributing Factors:
-	Alcohol
-	Operating in low light conditions
-	Unfamiliarity with the Lake
-	Rule 5 Improper Look-out
-	Rule 6 Unsafe Speed
-	Rule 7 Risk of Collision
-	Rule 8 Action to Avoid Collision
-	Reckless operation
	
This report is summary of events. See Versaterm report # GW 2023-500141 for criminal charges and see STORM report # S-23-07-004 for the crash analysis.


BARDID: TX-2023-0117
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-06-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0582 JOE POOL
NearestCityTown: Grand Prairie
County: 057 DALLAS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On Sunday, June 11th at approximately 6:45pm I was contacted by my partner, Game Warden, he was informed by Grand Prairie Police Department that there was a Personal Watercraft (PWC) accident that resulted in a fatality on Joe Pool Lake. After my phone call with Game Warden, I called Grand Prairie Police Officer and gathered more information. Officer informed me that two of the males were at the Lake station waiting to be interviewed and the other male and female were transported to Medical City of Arlington Hospital. 

      I arrived at the Grand Prairie Police Department Lake station at 7:55pm. Upon arrival Officer1 informed me that a female was pronounced dead at Medical City of Arlington at 6:44pm. I then asked Officer1 and Officer2 if they thought alcohol or drugs were involved. They informed me that they had no suspicion of alcohol or drugs being involved with their initial contacts with all the occupants. They informed me that they did not smell or see any signs of intoxication. 

 I met with the two young males. Operator2 identified the other male and female who were at the hospital as Subject1 and Victim1. During the initial contact I was informed that Victim1 was the driver of the other PWC, and Subject1 was her passenger. 

     Game Warden1 showed up to the lake station at approximately 8:30pm. The wrecker from Dave’s Hi-Way Wrecker service picked up both PWC’s from Lynn Creek Marina and brought them to the lake station that way Game Warden1 and I could take photos out of the rain that same day to see what damage had been done before we started our investigation. 

The PWC that Operator2 and Subject2 were on had the TX number (vessel 2). The PWC that Victim1 and Subject1 were on had the TX number (vessel 1). It was noticeable that vessel 1 is the PWC that had all the damage. Vessel 1’s console was torn off and laying sideways in the footwell. Most of the damage was on the left front half of the PWC. Vessel 2 had very minimal damage to it. It had a couple of scratches in the left middle side of the PWC and some damage to the back right side of the PWC. After Game Warden1 and I were finished with the PWC’s the wrecker then towed them to Grand Prairie’s Police Department impound lot at 3010 Hardrock Road, Grand Prairie, Texas and placed on a hold until the investigation is complete. 

     Game Warden1 and I then interviewed Operator2 and Subject2 separately to get their stories of how the accident occurred. When interviewing Operator2, I made sure to do HGN on his eyes to cover all my bases and make sure there was no alcohol involved. During both interviews it was apparent that the two PWC’s were doing circles near each other in opposite directions when the crashed occurred. Once Game Warden1 and I were done interviewing Operator2 and Subject2, we released them to their parents, and they were free to go. 

     Game Warden1 and I left the station at approximately 9:40pm and drove to Medical City of Arlington where the 2 other occupants were transported to. Upon arrival I was escorted to the back to continue my investigation on the deceased, Victim1, while my partner waited in the lobby. Game Warden1 and I then interviewed Subject1 in his room while he was being discharged from the hospital. Subject1 had no injuries and was cleared from the hospital. 

     On Sunday, June 12th, State Parks Police Officer and I met at the Grand Prairie impound lot to further the investigation on the PWC’s. Officer is on our departments State Forensic Reconstruction and Mapping Team also known as STORM. I assisted Officer while he took more in-depth photos and measurements of the PWC’s for his part of the investigation. 

     On Monday, June 19th, I met with Officer and Game Warden who is also on the STORM team at the Garland Law Enforcement Office to reinterview the 3 young men about the accident and to see if they remembered anything new from that night. Game Warden has incredible knowledge when it comes to boat accidents and investigating them, so he reached out and offered to help. 

After the interviews all their stories matched the same as they did on the night of the accident. They informed us that they were just playing around on the PWC’s by doing circles next to each other in opposite directions and then they got too close and ran into each other. Game Warden informed Officer and I that it does seem logical, and their story does match up to what the damage was telling us on the PWC’s.
      I am still waiting for the Medical Examiner’s office to send me the official cause of death report, but fatality occurred as a result of the PWC crash.


BARDID: TX-2023-0118
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1530 SAN JACINTO RIVER
NearestCityTown: Sheldon
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
At approximately 1700 on 7/16/2023 two jet skis' collided at approximate grid coordinate N 29.884352 W -95.096167 on the San Jacinto River just east of Magnolia Gardens located at 18041 Riverside Street, Houston, Texas 77044. 
Vessel (1) a 2013 silver and black Yamaha Wave Runner VX Cruiser, Texas,, Operated by O1, with passenger.

Vessel (2) a 2018 gray and black Yamaha Wave Runner FX Cruiser, hull identification number, owned and operated by O2.

Vessel 1 was traveling south on the San Jacinto River violating the 50-foot rule by traveling faster than headway speed and coming within a few feet of people, jet skis, and vessels. Vessel 2 was sitting still with the jet ski and operator facing west towards the shore. Vessel 1 failed to keep a good look out and noticed Vessel 2 in front of them too late to avoid. Operator of Vessel 2 saw Vessel 1 coming and jumped off into the water. Vessel 1 struck vessel 2 at approximately 20 miles per hour on the front starboard side at a 90-degree impact angle and then rotated after the impact facing to the west alongside Vessel 2. Operator and passenger of Vessel 1 were ejected into the water.
Operator of Vessel 1 was transported to Memorial Hermann (6411 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030). Operator of Vessel 1 sustained a laceration to the face. Passenger of Vessel 1 sustained a possible broken ankle but refused medical attention. No other injuries were reported. 
Vessel 1 sustained scratches, transfers, and gouges to the bow and sponson, approximately 500.00$ in damage. 
Vessel 2 sustained damage to starboard bow. The fiberglass was fractured along the bondline where the hull and the cap of the jet ski meet and pushed inward approximately 2”. The hull sustained compression damage and stress fractures along the rim, 1,500.00$ in damage.
Operator of Vessel 1 is suspected of boating while intoxicated. Residual blood was obtained via warrant signed by the justice of the peace and is being tested at the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab located at 12230 West Road, Jersey Village, Texas 77065. No citations have been issued at this time pending the results of the blood work.


BARDID: TX-2023-0119
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-28 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0466 LYNDON B. JOHNSON
NearestCityTown: Kingsland
County: 150 LLANO
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On July 28, 2023, I, Texas Game Warden responded to a wakeboarding accident on Lake LBJ near Antler Run in Llano County. Upon arrival, I was informed by witnesses that the injured person had been transported to the hospital by EMS. I spoke with operator, who informed me that the person wakeboarding, had injured his leg and believes he broke a bone while wakeboarding. The accident occurred approximately 15-30 minutes after the boat was launched. Injured was wakeboarding behind the vessel when the board slipped out from under him. Injured later stated to me that he felt his leg twist and thinks it was enough pressure to break his shin bone. The operator immediately drove the vessel back where emergency services were notified. PFD's were used accordingly to state laws and normal operations of the vessel had occurred. No involvement of alcohol or drugs. For additional information please refer to Llano County Sheriff's Office.


BARDID: TX-2023-0120
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:35:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 5020 ARANSAS BAY
NearestCityTown: Rockport
County: 004 ARANSAS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Sudden medical condition
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 08/05/2023 at 11:31am, Rockport Police Department Dispatch advised me of a boat accident at Cove Harbor North Marina. I arrived on Scene at 11:03am as an Ambulance was transporting O1 to the Rockport emergency room. I spoke with four individuals, 3 of which were on scene when the accident occurred, and a Rockport PD officer who obtained information concerning the vessel and vessel operator. I spoke with the deckhand who works at the dry storage facility at the marina, and two individuals on scene shortly after the accident occurred. After obtaining pictures of the vessel damage, I met with the owner/operator at the vessel at the Rockport emergency room at approximately 12:50pm to obtain a statement regarding the accident. 

O1 recently had the boat serviced and a Minn Kota Terrova installed at Rockport Marine and was taking the boat out to Aransas Bay to see how it was running. HE left port (Cove Harbor North Marina) around 10:00am and drove out to Aransas Bay approximately 1/4 mile. He said he wasn't feeling well at this point, feeling very tired and weak, so he turned the boat around and returned back to port within approximately 15 minutes of leaving. 

As he was at idle speed returning to the dock near the Cove Harbor North dry dock, and as he approached the first dock near the fuel pumps in the marina, he went unconscious at the helm and travelled approximately 150 feet before striking the concrete bulkhead in the marina. He awoke in the seated position on the leaning post after the boat collided into the concrete bulkhead bow first then pinning against the dock on the vessels starboard side. OPERATOR became conscious shortly after the collision, noticed the vessel was still clutch ahead and against the dock, so he turned the engine off and tied the boat to a cleat on the dock. He then exited the vessel and laid down on the dock where two individuals, noticed him at approximately10:39am, then provided aid. 

Emergency medical services were advised, and O1 was transported to the Rockport emergency room. After speaking with him and health care individuals in the emergency room, it appears that O1 may have some underlying cardiac issues and was dehydrated. No alcohol or drugs appear to be involved and were not found on the vessel. Underlying medical conditions and moderate to severe dehydration appear to be the reason HE lost consciousness and struck the concrete bulkhead while operating his vessel. No apparent injuries sustained to the owner/operator due to the accident.   

End of Report


BARDID: TX-2023-0121
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:27:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0006 ALAN HENRY
NearestCityTown: Justiceburg
County: 085 GARZA
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 operated by Operator 1 was following behind vessel 2 operated by Operator 2 with passenger on board.  Vessel 2 was coming to a slower speed around 10MPH as described by Operator 2 and Vessel 1 did not see the reduced speed occur at the same time as he was coming over a large wave from a nearby wake setter.  

Vessel 1 operator, described himself losing control of the steering as he cleared the wave and slammed into the back of vessel 2 and Operator 2.  Both operators attributed the collision as a result of vessel 2 not reacting to the front vessel slowing down right after clearing a large wake/wave.


BARDID: TX-2023-0122
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0316 GRANBURY
NearestCityTown: GRANBURY
County: 111 HOOD
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Other
OtherAccidentEvent: Struck by vessel equipent
RedactedNarrative:
1.	On July 2nd at approximately 1300 hours Vessel #1 was leaving the Rough Creek boat ramp area with 6 persons onboard.
2.	Occupants , listed above, were sitting on the port and starboard seats in the open bow of Vessel #1.
3.	O1 was the operator of Vessel #1 and was at the controls on the starboard side. The Port side midship seat was unoccupied.
4.	In the rear seat, which runs the length of the beam, were Occupants 3 on the starboard side, 4 in the middle and 5 on the Port side.
5.	This group had just finished swimming and took their perspective seats after retrieving the anchor and placing the anchor, with it's line attached on the forward most seat of the open bow.
6.	Operator brought Vessel #1 up to speed heading out of Rough Creek to go downstream to another portion of Lake Granbury. Operator told me that he was just planning out and started to turn starboard when he hit a large wave or wake causing Vessel #1 to pitch up significantly.
7.	Occupants 2 and 3 told me that when they hit this wake and vessel #1 pitched upward they both flew out of their seats maybe 6 inches to 1 foot. Occupants 3 and 4 stated that they were not affected much by the wake. Occupant 3 stated that as they continued he noticed that the anchor line was just beside him in the water. He told me he yelled "hey" to Operator to get his attention about the line and anchor being in the water on the starboard side. He stated that he immediately turned and leaned over and tried to grab the line at the same time he stated he looked back to see what he was yelling about and saw him tryng to get the line and immediately pulled the throttle back into the neutral position. Operator stated that when he realized what was happening he saw the anchor coming back towards them and then heard it hit the dash on the port side beside him. Occupant said he never saw the anchor come back towards the boat and didn't realize that it had struck her in the head before striking the dash until he turned back around and saw Injured 1 leaned over on Occupant 3 bleeding from her head.
Occupant 4 stated he immediatley called 911 for assistance as Operator brought vessel #1 back up to speed and headed back to the Rough Creek boat ramp. He stated he was given a shirt and later a towel to hold on her head to help control the bleeding.
8.	Once back at the boat ramp and EMS and fire arrived to assist Injured 1 they kept her alert as possible and let the emergency responders handle her care from this point.
9. Speaking with All the witnesses in the boat on that day they believe that when they hit the wake it must have tossed the anchor out of the boat on the starboard side. They all seem to have no idea how the anchor came flying back into the boat the way that it did.


BARDID: TX-2023-0123
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:15:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0622 RAY ROBERTS
NearestCityTown: Sanger
County: 061 DENTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentCause2: Overloading
AccidentCause3: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was operating the vessel headed back to the boat ramp at Sanger.  He stated that he attempted to adjust the seating arrangements of the other 2 passengers to prevent swamping of the boat but it did not help.  

He said that waves kept lapping the vessel until a large wave swamped the boat prior to them reaching the boat ramp.  The boat capsized and floated into the cove where the boat ramp is located.  A passerby picked all 3 passengers up and took them to the boat ramp.  All 3 passengers were wearing PFD's.  The boat was recovered by Tow Boat US.


BARDID: TX-2023-0124
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0771 WAXAHACHIE
NearestCityTown: Waxahachie
County: 070 ELLIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Game Warden was notified by dispatch that a single white male, jumped off a boat at Lake Waxahachie and did not resurface.  GW1 arrived at scene and began to search by side scan on his patrol boat.  GW1 was able to interview the driver of the boat and give an approximate location of where the victim was last seen.  The operator of the boat stated that the deceased subject and another female decided to swim back to the shore from the boat.  

The operator of the boat stated that the 2 swimmers were not wearing life jackets.  The boat operator noticed that the subject was struggling in the water, and he drove closer to try and help, but realized the subject had already gone down under the surface.  
GW1 was able to side scan the area, and shortly after located the subject on side scan in approximately 12 feet of water.  The fire department from Waxahachie and Grand Prairie, Tx dive teams were able to recover the deceased shortly after.  The Justice of the Peace was notified and arrived shortly after and performed the inquest.  There was no sign of alcohol or drugs involved in the accident.  The ME report is pending for cause of death at this time.


BARDID: TX-2023-0125
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0771 WAXAHACHIE
NearestCityTown: Waxahachie
County: 070 ELLIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
Texas Game Warden was notified of a jet ski accident in which the operator did not resurface after falling off of the vessel on Lake Waxahachie at approximately 5:00pm on July 30th, 2023.  Warden arrived and spoke with the passenger of the jet ski that was involved.  The passenger stated that her boyfriend was operating the jet ski and she was on the back of the vessel, and they were cruising around 15-20 MPH, when the operator made a sharp left turn, in which ejected both parties into the water.  The operator at the time, was not wearing a life jacket.  The passenger, looked for the operator after the accident, but he did not resurface.  Warden received a good location of the accident and joined Waxahachie fire department in searching for the victim by side scan sonar.  The body was found and recovered by divers a short time later.  No apparent alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.  The ME report is pending, the cause of the fatality is a result of the accident.


BARDID: TX-2023-0126
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-06 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 00:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0368 HOUSTON
NearestCityTown: Atascocita
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Overloading
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Capsizing
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
Per PWD 047-L2000 submitted by HPD Marine Unit officer (Report No. 1116256-23).

"I, Officer with my partner Officer riding unit 24P12 responded to the report of an overturned boat in Lake Houston, near the McKay Bridge where 2 people were missing and presumed to be in the water, at approximately 0306 Hours on 8/6/2023.  Upon arrival Officers met with HFD and Family members on scene who reported that 3 occupants had launched 14' flat bottom metal boat from the shoreline on the west side of Lake Houston, just north of the McKay Bridge.  The vessel was occupied by three people.

Officers spoke to Subject1 and gathered his statement of events.  He stated that the three occupants launched the boat at approximately 0030 hours on 8/6/2023 while the wind was blowing approximately 5-10MPH from the west/southwest with 1-2ft waves.  Subject1 and Subject2 had both been consuming alcohol prior to getting into the boat and none of the occupants had personal flotation devices, lights, sound signals, or other safety equipment.

When the boat made it under the bridge approximately 1500' from where it was launched Subject3 stood up on the front of the boat which caused it to take on water and begin to sink.  All three occupants went into the water.  Subject1 swam to shore but he stated that he did not see what happened to the other occupants, but he did not believe that they made it to shore. Subject1 then told the remaining family members on scene what happened.  All of the family members then began to spread out along the shoreline and began yelling for and looking for the remaining missing people.  After 2 hours of not finding the missing people, they called 911.

Responding officers found the boat was located against the bulkhead where the boat was launched from.  Subject1 stated that he did not know how the boat ended up back against the bulkhead as this was against the wind and current direction.

The Houston police Department Marine unit and Dive team, as well as the Houston Fire Department, and the Texas Game Wardens conducted searches for the missing occupants by water.  Officers received notice from family members that Subject2 had made it out of the water and left the location and returned home, approximately 1 hour away, leaving his phone and keys at the lake, without telling anyone that he made it out of the water.  Subject2 refused to return to the location to give a statement but stated via phone that the boat completely sank and he swam to shore on the southside of the McKay bridge before running to a nearby gas station and finding someone at the gas station who ordered him an uber to get home.

Emergency personnel continued search efforts until 2200 hours on 8/6/23 and then resumed the search again at 0600 hours on 8/7/23.  At 0720 Hours Officer with the Houston Police Department located the body of victim (sic) completely naked approximately 1700 feet north of the bridge against a small island. Due to the condition of the body after being submerged in water for an extended period officers were not able to determine if there were any additional injuries on scene.

The body was transferred to the Harris County Forensic Science Center for an autopsy which has not been completed at this time.

The vessel involved was towed to the Houston Police Department Marine unit building for safe keeping while the incident is investigated.

No charges have been filed and no citations have been issued while this incident is being investigated by the Marine Unit as well as the Houston Police Department Homicide Division."

END REPORT RECEIVED FROM HPD MARINE UNIT


BARDID: TX-2023-0128
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:15:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 5094 LYDIA ANN CHANNEL
NearestCityTown: Port Aransas
County: 004 ARANSAS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
The vessel was fishing near Lighthouse Lakes, they decided to look for a new fishing spot and headed towards the Lydia Ann Channel.  While underway, making way the victim was sitting on the bow deck facing the center console. The operator hit a rough patch of wake and the victim skipped across the deck and fell out of the vessel. The victim was run over by the vessel and was found floating, face down in the water unconscious by the passengers on board. The passengers jumped into the water to retrieve the victim and after doing so, immediately noticed upon bringing him on board that he was not breathing and started doing CPR. They brought him to Fisherman's Wharf boat ramp in Port Aransas to meet the Ambulance. The victim had a head laceration on the top of his head but is unknown which part of the boat caused it. 

All occupants were questioned, and the operator was checked for sobriety. No signs of intoxication were shown for the driver. Pictures of the vessel and information from the GPS were documented, water safety inspection was performed, and gathered the victim's information. He was taken to Corpus Christi Medical Center Bayview Area and was transferred to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio at 8:20 pm for further treatment. On August 18, 2023, I checked on the status of the victim and injuries. The victim has a nasal fracture, T9 fracture, L1-2 fracture, head laceration at the hairline that required 9 staples and is on ECMO. The victims nurse stated that his prognosis is good at this point. As of, October 2, 2023, the victim has been in the ICU under close watch and has suffered from multiple heart attacks, conscious only a couple times, and has no recollection of the incident. The brother stated that the victim should be being moved to a long-term care unit.


BARDID: TX-2023-0129
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:09:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0451 LIVINGSTON
NearestCityTown: Coldspring
County: 204 SAN JACINTO
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Overloading
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentCause3: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
The vessel departed Browder's Marina and headed northeast towards Pine Island on Lake Livingston. After fishing and recreating for a short time, they attempted to return Browder's marina, on the return they began to take on water. 

They contacted the San Jacinto County sheriff's office and local fire departments were dispatched and rescued them from the sinking vessel. The vessel was a complete loss and sunk completely. The vessel was not in the operator's name and was still registered to the previous owner, however it was within the allowed 90 days for title transfer.


BARDID: TX-2023-0130
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0118 BUCHANAN
NearestCityTown: Burnet
County: 027 BURNET
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On 08/13/2023 at approximately 3:15 pm, I, Game Warden was notified of a drowning that occurred in Burnet County on Lake Buchanan. I responded by land to the closest address. While in route to the location, a witness located the drowning victim and began CPR. When I arrived on scene the victim, had been transported by ambulance to the helicopter landing zone area. 

I spoke with the two witnesses and looked at the canoe. Operator  stated to me that both got into the seventeen-foot canoe and paddled out into the lake approximately forty yards from the shoreline. No life jackets were worn or on board the vessel. They were fishing in ten foot of water and then the canoe capsized. Operator was able to hold onto of the overturned canoe. Deceased struggled and attempted to climb on top of the canoe, he went under the water and never resurfaced. Operator dove down to the bottom of the lake several times before locating Deceased. Witness witnessed the drowning from shore and called 911. Operator swam to shore with Deceased and began CPR. Deceased was air lifted by helicopter to Seton Williamson Hospital. He died the following day on 08/14/2023.


BARDID: TX-2023-0131
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:45:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0451 LIVINGSTON
NearestCityTown: Livingston
County: 187 POLK
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Drug
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On 8/12/23 at approximately 8:45 pm the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Tuesday Subject in reference to her boyfriend who had jumped into the water from their vessel on Lake Livingston and she had not seen him in five minutes. The conditions that night were dark, with no moon light, and windy, with large waves. Subject stated that she did not know how to operate the boat and she could not go back to get Victim after their boat started drifting away from him. 

Subject stated that they had been on Pine Island that evening and once the wind picked up and the water began to get rough, they decided to head back to the Tigerville Park boat ramp where they had launched. According to Subject, while on the way back to Tigerville Park boat ramp, Victim put the boat in neutral and jumped off the rear port side of the vessel. Victim told Subject to stay in the boat and to circle back and get him after the boat began to drift away. Subject was unable to operate the boat but threw Victim a Type IV throw cushion which was not successful. Polk County SO deputies, State Park Police Officers, and I, Game Warden, responded to the area to locate Subject in the drifting vessel and the missing boater, Victim.

   At approximately 9:30 pm Subject drifted to the shore while officers launched a game warden patrol vessel to now attempt to locate Victim. The conditions of the lake were rough, with approximately 10-15 mph winds, and large rolling waves. I activated our navigation lights as well as the surrounding LED flood lights and red and blue strobe light on our vessel to help us see and be located in the dark. After responding to the area on the lake using GPS coordinates from cell phone ping at the time of her first call, we could hear a faint sound over the noise of the wind of what possibly sounded like a person yelling. 

We headed toward the sound and every few minutes we could hear the sound getting louder. We eventually knew that the sound was in fact a person yelling for help. With the high waves and darkness, we still could not see exactly where the person was, who we believed to be Victim. 

Eventually we spotted the person swimming in the water ahead of us and knew it was Victim. We began to approach Victim in our vessel, battling the wind and waves, and gave him commands to keep swimming. As we neared, Victim went under water and popped back up, and then went under water again, but did not resurface. 

I quickly hit the “mark” button on our GPS unit so we could continue to search the area for Victim. We continued searching for thirty to forty-five minutes but could not locate Victim. We determined that Victim had drowned at that point. Due to the conditions of the lake, we left the area and decided to return the next morning to try to locate Victim with side scan sonar.

   The next day, 8/13/23, at approximately 7:00 am, Officer and I returned to the area I marked with GPS and began searching for Victim’s body with side scan sonar. The water depth was approximately thirty feet in the location of the search. At approximately 7:35 am we located the first image of Victim’s body on sonar. Captain was notified that we had found the body and we requested dive team assistance. TPWD game warden dive team was unavailable, and Captain was able to coordinate with the Houston Police Department dive team to come assist with the recovery. 

   While waiting for the dive team to arrive, we went to inspect the vessel that Victim jumped from the previous night. Unknowingly, Subject and some family members were on the shore looking for Victim. We informed them that we had located Victim’s body and were waiting for a dive team. We inspected the vessel and interviewed Subject about the incident. 

The vessel contained two life jackets and the Type IV throw cushion that had washed up on shore and was found the next morning by a family member. The throttle of the vessel was also observed to be broken and would not go into gear unless the gear lock was manually lifted up to move the throttle into forward or reverse. 

Subject stated that is why she could not operate the vessel and did not know how to put the boat in gear. Subject also admitted that they had been drinking and took some shots of whiskey, and that they had also smoked a few hits of marijuana. It was later found out that Detective with the Polk County SO stated that Subject mentioned to him about some pills. I did locate an unmarked bottle in a duffle bag containing two unidentified medium-sized round white pills. It is unknown if Victim also consumed some of those pills.

   At approximately 12:00 pm the HPD dive team arrived at Beacon Bay Marina. After getting their gear ready, the dive team followed us in their vessel to the location of the body and began the first dive at approximately 1:24 pm. After locating the body and attaching a line to his left arm, a second dive was initiated by two divers to retrieve the body and bring it to the surface. At approximately 2:00 pm the body was loaded onto our patrol vessel and brought back to Beacon Bay Marina for Precinct 1 JP to pronounce the victim deceased. The family was already on scene and Pace Funeral Home took custody of the body. An autopsy was requested.


BARDID: TX-2023-0132
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0434 LAVON
NearestCityTown: Lavon
County: 043 COLLIN
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
On 4/13/23 a call was placed by O1 to the Collin County SO dispatch reporting reckless boat operation by two males on jet skis. Initial reports stated the jet ski operators were bring rude and returned to boat slip at Collin Park Marina.  O1 told dispatchers that the jet ski operators were waking his boat and threaten to shoot him.  O1 said the operators of the jet skis was a black male on a dark jet ski and a white male with long hair on a dark and red jet ski.  

The follow up to the initial report was made to the Collin Co SO on 5/18/23 and is as follows:
-On 4-13-2023 the Complainant O1 contact CCSO about an incident he had with two males riding jet bikes on Lake Lavon. O1 advised they would ride very close to his and another boat that was anchoring together out by the islands. The jet bikes riding close to the boats were causing them to come unanchored potentially causing damage. The Comp. O1 spoke with the jet bike riders later identified and asked if they would stop and ride further away from the boats anchored. O1 followed the jet bike riders who would ride up by other boaters and spray them with water from the jet. 

O1 located the red jet bike that which reportedly rode by and sprayed water on his boat knocking him out of the chair.  On April 14th O1 noticed damage to his boat and contacted CCSO under CFS 23063968 to report the damage, O1 advised he has taken the boat and had an estimate to repair the damage is $20,000. O1 reports his boat is a 2015 Bennington Tri-toon price at purchase was $90,000. O1 reports that during this event the rider of the red jet bike observed to be a W/M with long hair reportedly threatened to shoot him during this incident.
-On May 18, 2023, while on Lake Lavon O1 advised that he observed the same two jet bikes on the lake riding in an unsafe manner. He notified CCSO Deputies who were conducting jet bike training, and the deputies were able to locate the suspect identified slip number at Collin Park Marina.


Upon follow up of the boating related incident I spoke with both operators and all witnesses.  Reports and accounts provided were conflicting.  O1 was on vessel 1, a pontoon boat, and his wife and friends, were on a separate vessel.  The statements from all four were consistent and stated the following:  

Vessel 1 and their boat were tied up together around the NW area of “the island” on Lake Lavon when they observed two jet skis operating recklessly.  The operation of the jet skis was causing the two boats to rub against each other so vessel 1 went to speak with the jet ski operators and ask them to stop.  A confrontation ensued between the operator of vessel 1  and vessel 2. Statements were made that O2 was being confrontational and gave O1 the middle finger.  Subsequently, vessel 1 went to find vessel 2, but vessel 2 went back to his vessel and spoke briefly with them before allegedly splashing O1 boat (no damage was observed or reported) and leaving headed south towards the cut between “the island” and Clear Lake Park.  

Upon noticing vessel 2 was at boat vessel 1 was headed to neighboring boat when vessel 2 made an evasive maneuver causing water to be splashed onto the starboard side of vessel 1 and knocking O1 out of his seat.  Vessel 2 and the other jet ski then left the area and headed towards Collin Park Marina.  No damage was initially reported to the authorities, although, O1 stated that the next day he noticed the damage and a follow up report was made with the CCSO.  

Photos of damage to the siding of the pontoon and the upholstery were received by the investigator of this report.  Additionally, O1 provided a short video of the two jet skis circling one another, appearing to violate the 50 ft. rule, although appeared to be more than 50 ft. from the vessel(s) recording.


Upon speaking with O2 and his friend, the operator of vessel 2, I obtained their accounting of the events. Statements from both jet ski operators were consistent with one another and was as follows:

Vessel 2’s operator  and his friend were driving around on their jet skis around the island, at least 100 feet away from the other vessels when vessel 1 came up to them in a rude manner and told them to stop, that they were operating too close to their vessels and their boats were being bumped together due to their wake.  The jet ski operators account continued to state that after vessel 1 came up and spoke to them they apologized and started leave the area. It was stated that O1 drove his jet ski around one side of the island headed towards Collin Park Marina and vessel 1 followed him.  At which time O2 says he went the other direction and drove up to his vessel to apologize and then he left headed south towards the cut between “the island” and Clear Lake Park.  

O2 stated that as he was headed south towards the cut, vessel 1 was driving at a high rate of speed through the no wake zone directly at his vessel (vessel 2), to the extent that O2 thought O1 was trying to intentionally run into him and cause him harm.  O2 stated that he was able to maneuver around the vessel 1 and left the area travelling towards Collin Park Marina.  Both accounts stated at no time was anyone splashed by their vessel and also stated that the vessels never made contact or obtained any damage.

No corroborating evidence was obtained by either party sufficient enough to rise to probable cause that a criminal offense occurred.

End of Report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0133
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0696 STILLHOUSE HOLLOW
NearestCityTown: Harker Heights
County: 014 BELL
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
At approximately 8:00 pm on 7/2/23 i was patrolling lake stillhouse with game warden and army corps of engineers rangers. I received a call from bell county dispatch that a child had been hit by a boat prop and her life jacket was wrapped around the prop. They were in the vicinity of the dam close to the water intake. 

Before arriving to the scene of the accident a good samaritan heard the screams and helped retrieve the girl from the prop. He then took the girl onto his boat and proceeded to stillhouse marina, i arrived at the same time. A short time later the boat with both parents arrived.  

 

From the witnesses onboard they stated that the victim and a male child were riding on a tube behind the boat and fell into the water. The operator then went to retrieve the male child because they thought he was struggling in the water. 

As their attention was on the male child the mother stated she no longer saw her daughter but did see a lot of blood on the water. That is when the operator, the victims father, saw her and her lifejacket wrapped in the prop. He attempted to cut her free and that is when a good samaritan arrived to help. The good samaritan then put the victim onto his boat and took her to stillhouse marina. She was pronounced dead a short time later by judge.


BARDID: TX-2023-0134
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:15:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0143 CANYON
NearestCityTown: Canyon Lake
County: 046 COMAL
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On or about August 11, 2023 at approximately 615pm. I Texas Game Warden along with multiple other County Game Wardens responded to boat ramp three for a boat accident. Upon arrival, we learned that two PWCs were operating near boat ramp three. The occupant/passenger of boat one jumped off the boat into Canyon Lake. Boat two was operating close by and did not see the passenger of boat one jump off the boat and into the water. The operator of boat two ran over the swimmer striking the back of his head.  The swimmer had blood coming from his head where the boat struck him. Due to the subject having thick braided hair, it was difficult to see any cut/gash. Canyon Lake EMS arrived on scene and evaluated the injured party. The injured party and family refused transport. The family of injured party advised that they would take him to the hospital. The injured party was alert and aware of everything going on.

The operator of boat two was identified. Warden filed boaters education and 50' rule violation's.

The operator of boat one was identified. Since the operator was a juvenile, the father was filed on for violating the 50' rule under criminal responsibility for conduct of another. 

The injured subject was identified.


BARDID: TX-2023-0135
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0316 GRANBURY
NearestCityTown: Granbury
County: 111 HOOD
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel was under power in the Hunter Park area of Lake Granbury traveling southeast down lake at about 3:00pm on August 11, 2023.
Vessel struck a suspected stump below surface level and lost ability to maneuver.  

Vessel was towed to Hunter Park boat ramp by BRA where it was loaded onto its trailer.  Upon recovering it was observed that the vessels prop shaft and prop where missing and the vessel was draining water from the prop shaft location.


BARDID: TX-2023-0136
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-14 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0143 CANYON
NearestCityTown: Canyon Lake
County: 046 COMAL
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
On July 14th 2023 at about 1100AM Vessel 1 was pulling a tuber on canyon lake near boat ramp 18. The tuber, fell off and the operator allowed her to swim to the rear of the vessel. When moving to the ladder at the transom, they got too close to the propeller while it was still spinning and it cut her jean shorts, causing contusions and minor abrasions to tops of both thighs. She was transported by EMS to Reslove hospital. No other injuries or treatment reported.


BARDID: TX-2023-0137
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:13:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0143 CANYON
NearestCityTown: Canyon Lake
County: 046 COMAL
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On August 12th at about 1400PM, Vessel 1 was operating on canyon lake near boat ramp 18 at high-speeds doing quick turns and maneuvers. During one of the turns the operator was thrown from the PWC into the water. The operator said that his foot remained in the footwell of the PWC and twisted unnaturally. He drove himself to the shore and was taken to the hospital. His ankle was broken in several places and will require surgery to repair.


BARDID: TX-2023-0138
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0466 LYNDON B. JOHNSON
NearestCityTown: Kingsland
County: 027 BURNET
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 8/19/23 at approximately 3:10 pm, I Game Warden was dispatched to Lake LBJ in reference to a PWC accident.  Upon arrival, the victim had already been transported to Scott and White Hospital in Marble Falls.  I drove to White Hospital and met with the operator of the PWC.  He informed me a group of approximately 17 PWC's were traveling southbound on the Colorado arm of Lake LBJ in the middle of the channel.  He informed me he was standing on his PWC traveling at approximately 40-45 MPH when he struck a large wake from a boat.  He stated the impact from the wake caused him to injure his left knee, possibly dislocating it.  He stated he was not ejected from the PWC and there was no damage to his PWC.  He stated he did not know what kind of boat created the large wake.  No other person could be located that witnessed him strike the wake.


BARDID: TX-2023-0139
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 02:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0566 PALESTINE
NearestCityTown: Flint
County: 212 SMITH
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On August 20, 2023, at approximately 8:16am I, Game Warden received a call from a Smith County Sheriff's Deputy that a severely damaged boat had been found on Lake Palestine North of the Hwy 155 bridge. An injured dog was onboard the vessel and there were no other occupants on or near the boat. 

The caller stated that the vessel was approximately 150 yards North of the bridge when they found the boat. The boat was a 2015 Ranger Silver and black in color. Smith County Game Warden and I arrived on scene in our patrol boat and the victim's boat was still running. The kill switch was detached, and we were unable to turn off the motor. We turned the perko to the off position and the motor continued to run. The motor finally shut off and we were able to pull the boat to shore for further investigation. While working on the victim's boat, a deputy went to the address of the boat owner's home to see if the owner was accounted for. The deputy spoke to the wife of Subject. She stated that Subject left their home with their two dogs at approximately 11:30pm August 19th to go to Lake Palestine and that he was intoxicated. There was a sunglass holder containing marijuana and drug paraphernalia that was found on the victim's boat after we recovered him. Subject's truck and trailer were located at the Village's marina, north of the Hwy 155 bridge.

Warden and I were able to locate where the boat struck the bridge from the shiny silver discoloration of the cement piling on the bridge and the pink in color fiberglass embedded in the piling. From land on the East side of the bridge, this was the fourth row down of pilings. It was the fifth and final piling in the row if you're heading south on the lake. Warden, Capt., and I marked a location of the victim with the side scan sonar. We were able to retrieve the victim at approximately 11:12am using a hook drag and he was approximately 25 yds from where the collision took place. 

The victim had boxers and a shirt on over his head at the time of the recovery and he was not wearing a life jacket. The coordinates were recorded where the victim was found and where the accident took place. The victim was placed in a body bag and taken to the on-call JP on shore to be pronounced deceased. Warden and I left the scene while Capt. and Warden help the tow truck operator get the victim's boat on the boat trailer for further investigation. End of Report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0140
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 8041 BROWNSVILLE SHIP CHANNEL
NearestCityTown: South Padre Island
County: 031 CAMERON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Missing or inadequate navigation aids
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
O1 stated he was driving down the Brownsville Ship Channel when he struck an object submerged underwater. He stated after he hit the object he turned around and noticed it was a pipe that was unmarked.

Pictures of the damage was taken.

Location of accident: 26.0669970
                              -97.1634926


BARDID: TX-2023-0141
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:54:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0743 TRAVIS
NearestCityTown: Lakeway
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On August 13th 2023, at approximately 1530 hours, I, Texas Game Warden, received a call from the Travis County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) Dispatch for a call on Lake Travis near Captain Pete’s Boathouse on Point Venture Travis County Texas. The call was in reference to a 2 vessel accident with multiple injuries.

I arrived on scene at approximately 1650 hours. The TCSO Deputies on scene stated the 2 parties on the vessels involved were sitting together on the restaurant’s patio. The first vessel, a 23ft pontoon with 13 passengers on board was traveling down river from the Point Venture beach area on Point Venture Island.  The Personal Watercraft was following behind it and struck the pontoon, hitting and injuring 5 individuals onboard the pontoon.   

The Deputies had all passengers and operators on the patio of the restaurant, with 5 headed to local hospitals and 1 deceased on the dock next to where the pontoon was tied up to the dock.
Piloting the pontoon vessel was O1 visiting from New Jersey. O1 was sitting by himself at a different table than the others and I approached him, introduced myself, and told him why I was there.  I asked him if I could ask a few questions on what happened, and he said yes.

He went on to say they were all employees and family of employees from Real Estate.  Around 1100 hours they rented the pontoon and PWC from Lakeway Marina just across the lake from our current location.  They traveled from the Marina to Point Venture Beach just a little upriver.  Since there were 14 of them total, they rented a Jet ski (PWC) and individual 1 and her son Operator 2 followed the pontoon to the beach with her operating it.  

They spent approximately 3 hours at the beach, then loaded up to head back to the marina. At that time, Operator 2 jumped on the PWC and all other passengers were on the pontoon with Operator 1 as the operator. They headed back and Operator 2 followed behind them with the PWC. On the way, Operator 2 was seen behind them, jumping the wake of the pontoon several times.  Operator 2 said he started to slow down to talk to someone near him and that is when the PWC struck the right rear of the pontoon.  It continued up into the pontoon, struck Deceased from the back, continued over the top and landed onto the front left seats. 4 other individuals were struck in the process.  

Operator 1 said they slowly made their way over to the dock at Captain Pete’s Boathouse where several citizens were able to assist with Deceased.  TCEMS arrived with TCSO Deputies and they took over CPR on him.  They declared he was deceased on scene.  
Game Warden arrived on scene and assisted with interviewing the passengers.

I Introduced myself to Operator 2 and mom.  I asked them to go through the days events with me and start with leaving the marina and what they were told about operating the PWC.  Mom said they told her to sign the lease paperwork, which she did, then explained how to start the PWC, forwards, and reverse.  They explained how to get out of the marina and onto the main Lake without hitting any low spots and said to stay away from other objects.  

Operator 2 said they left the marina and went to the beach with his mom driving the PWC with him on the back.  They hung out around the beach for a couple of hours and then started to head back to get the vessels back on time.  His mom rode on the pontoon while he drove the PWC by himself and followed.  Operator 2 said she was watching him the entire time they were heading back.  She watched him jump the wake behind their pontoon a couple of times.  The pontoon started to slow down and she noticed Operator 2 was coming up behind them and didn’t seem to slow down.  She saw him hit the pontoon and go over the top, separated from the PWC himself, she grabbed him and he landed on the front deck of the pontoon.  2 other people pushed the PWC off of the individuals on the seats back into the water. They made their way over to Captain Pete’s and tied off the pontoon.  Another vessel assisted them and brought the PWC over and tied it up also.

TCSO contacted authorities in New Jersey to go over and notify the spouse of death.  TCSO also contacted the Medical Examiner and requested them to respond and transport Deceased. 

After speaking with the rest of the passengers on board (Listed Below), we were able to confirm the information obtained from both operators was consistent with reports from the TCSO, passengers, and video footage later obtained by Game Warden.  The video footage shows the PWC jumping the wake behind the pontoon, the pontoon slowing down, then the PWC making contact with the pontoon and landing on top of it.

I contacted the owner of Lakeway Marina, and informed her the two vessels were being seized for evidence and I asked if she had a trailer for them. She informed me they did not have trailers.  I told her I would call a tow company to pull them near Emerald Point Marina and put them on trailers. 

We contacted Flagship Towing from Lake Travis and they provided trailers for both vessels.

Contributing Factors to the accident:
Vessel 1 - Lack of a proper lookout
Vessel 2 - Lack of experience
             - Lack of a proper lookout
             - Violate 50ft rule
             - Jumping the wake of another vessel

Nothing Further at this time.


BARDID: TX-2023-0142
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 23:47:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1043 BIG CYPRESS CREEK
NearestCityTown: Jefferson
County: 155 MARION
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was operating his vessel on Big Cypress Bayou shortly after 11:00PM on the evening of 13 August 2023.  He was operating at cruising speed.  His motor struck a submerged deadhead under the surface of the water and dislodged his motor from the transom.  He was able to quickly recover the motor, but could not get it to fire.  No injuries reported.  


BARDID: TX-2023-0143
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 23:50:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0434 LAVON
County: 043 COLLIN
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Inadequate onboard navigation lights
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
I state game warden recieved notification of an accident on lake lavon that occured the night of august 11th at approximatly 11:50pm. The following will be statements from both boat operators and witness statements on what they saw as well. 

I first spoke o1; he is the owner of the pontoon boat. We spoke and he had stated he was sitting still fishing when he noticed a vessel that was headed right at them. He noticed that the boat was not slowing down nor was it changing directions to miss his boat. He stated in an effort to be seen better he turned on his very bright front headlights also known as docking lights. According to him it was then that the other boat operator noticed their vessel and tried to make a last second maneuver to avoid hit him and his pontoon but couldn't avoid hitting the pontoon on the starboard side. 

Everyone immediately asked each other if they were ok and everyone responded with yes. O1 asked the other operator if he did not see them and according to him the other operator stated no sorry, i was putting a shirt on and didn't see the boat. They exchanged information and made there was back to boat ramps. 

I also reached out to the other operator o2 which drove the other boat with tx numbers. He stated that he had been parked and hanging out on the ne side of the island and when they decided to leave, they started headed east. Mr. Stated he was headed back to the ramp and never saw o1 boat because his vessel had no navigation lights on. O2 stated that o1's boat was completely blacked out until he was right on top of him and it was then that he tried to turn on lights to avoid the crash. Once impact had happened o2 stated that he stopped and also asked if everyone was ok and make sure no one was hurt. The response was the same and according to o2 no one was hurt and everyone was ok. Ems was not called. At this time according to o2 they exchanged information and began heading back to the boat ramps. 

I was able to make contact with two witnesses of the accident. Those statements are below:

First witness i was able to talk to was a gentlemen. He stated he was not on either boat. He was on his own boat with his wife. He stated to me that he was actually looking in the direction where the pontoon was because he noticed a quick flicker of light. Like a cell phone of a flashlight that was on for a split second but then off. I asked him if that flicker could have been the all-around white light that is required to be on after sunset and maybe it was having difficulties staying on. He stated it was 100 percent not the all-around white light. He then again told me that the boat was completely in the dark and he caught his eye but it was so fast and then went black again he was wondering what it was. As he watched the other boat start to approach where the pontoon was he witnessed what he said was complete darkness to the pontoon boat turning on its docking lights last second trying to avoid getting hit. 

The second witness i was able to speak with was a gentlemen. He stated that he was actually on the boat with o1. He stated they had been fishing and it was around midnight roughly. Witness stated that o1 had his green and red lights on but did not have a all around white light. As the boat was coming at us, we realized it wasn't seeing us so last second we turned on as many lights as we could which included our front head lights. At that time the other driver swerved to miss us but hit us on the side of our boat. We asked the other driver if he saw us and he said sorry no i was putting my shirt on. Again witness stated that everyone said they were fine with no injuries at the time. Ems was not called.


BARDID: TX-2023-0144
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:45:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0466 LYNDON B. JOHNSON
NearestCityTown: Kingsland
County: 150 LLANO
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
I game warden  received a call on August 11th at approximately 3:45Pm of a boat accident in the Llano arm of lake LBJ.  I arrived on scene and an injured party had been flown to Round Rock due to his leg injury.  I later made contact with the operator of the rented vessel.  He stated he was in the Llano arm of the river channel pulling a wake boarder, when the boarder fell trying to get up.  The operator instantly knew he was hurt and called 911 and headed to Wakepoint marina where victim was later star flighted out.  The boarder suffered a broken femur on his right leg.  He thought he may have hit an unknown object beneath the water's surface.  After further investigation, there was no submerged object, but investigator cannot rule out a floating object.  Investigator later contacted the father of the victim to check on his status.  Victim had surgery the day after the accident and was doing as good as expected.


BARDID: TX-2023-0146
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0143 CANYON
NearestCityTown: Starzville
County: 046 COMAL
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Congested waters
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On July 30, 2023, at approximately 5 PM on Canyon Lake, in Comal County Texas.  O1 was operating a PWC  in congested waters.  As O1 began to accelerate, he changed direction and turned to the right causing him to fall off the PWC. (O1, fell off the Port side.)  When he fell off, his left foot got hung up in the gunnel area of the PWC causing his left tibia and fibula to break. O1 was taken to boat ramp 8 on Canyon Lake and was seen by Canyon Lake EMS and later taken to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in New Braunfels Texas.
O1 has since had one surgery to repair the break in his bones.

No damage to the PWC.

Game Warden Body Cam during interview.

End of report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0147
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 09:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1530 SAN JACINTO RIVER
NearestCityTown: Crosby
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
AccidentEvent2: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
ON 08/27/2023, THE OPERATOR OF VESSEL 1, DESCRIBED THAT NOT LONG AFTER LAUNCHING THE PWC, SHE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A CURB, AROUND A STRUCTURE MADE OF CONCRETE AND CONCRETE ROCKS, WHILE GOING AT A HIGH HATE OF SPEED, WHEN SHE REALIZED THAT SHE WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CLEAR THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE, SHE JUMP OUT OF THE PWC BEFORE THE PWC CRASH ON THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE, CAUSING THE DAMAGES TO THE HULL OF THE PWC.

THE OPERATOR WAS WEARING A PFD AND HAD ALL THE REQUIRED SAFE EQUIPMENT ON BOARD OF THE PWC.
NO INJURIES REPORTED.

END OF REPORT.


BARDID: TX-2023-0148
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:45:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0301 LEWISVILLE
NearestCityTown: Frisco
County: 061 DENTON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper loading
AccidentCause2: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
At approximately 3:00pm on 08/29/23, I, Game Warden, received a phone call from Denton County SO dispatch stating that there had been a drowning in Lake Lewisville. I contacted my Captain who stated that I was to respond as it was my day off. I made it to Cottonwood Creek Marina as the recovery was made by the Little Elm/ Lewisville fire department. 

I met them at the marina and began gathering information from Denton County detectives. Detective had spoken with witnesses on the other side of the lake where the incident occurred. According to witnesses, the four occupants of the two-person pedal boat all fell into the water. The last time that the victim was seen was approximately 2:45pm. The victim was a non-swimmer, there were no life jackets on board or worn. The victim was recovered by Lewisville FD diver at 33.1470571N -96.9297281W in a 45-degree angle from the bank, face down, and approximately 50' from the bank in 8-9' of water(4:29pm). I met the FD vessel carrying the victim at Cottonwood Marina and we waited for the Medical Examiner who arrived at 6:50pm, took photographs of the body, took possession of the body, and left the scene at approximately 7:15pm.


BARDID: TX-2023-0149
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0451 LIVINGSTON
NearestCityTown: COLDSPRING
County: 204 SAN JACINTO
WaterConditions: Very rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Storm
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On August 27, 2023 at approximately 730pm, Game Warden received a call from the San Jacinto County Sheriff department about a boat sinking and three people in the water. Warden went to pick up Game Warden’s boat from boat barn while Warden went to boat marina to get information. It was reported that all missing persons had on life jackets.

Camilla VFD attempted to go look for the sinking boat, but had to return to shore due to waves swamping their boat. Cape Royal VFD was able to locate 2 women who were in the water near the sunken boat at approximately 815pm. They were unable to bring them to shore due to high waves. They dropped them into the water near Browders marina where Camilla VFD swam to them and helped them get to shore. All persons wore life jackets. Cape Royal VFD then had to return to their marina due to high wind and waves.

According to the 2 women, the boat operator was swimming in the lake when the wind and weather suddenly changed. The lake was clam and smooth until a storm came. This is when the boat came into trouble. The operator trying to swim to the boat, but the wind and waves kept pushing the boat away. The wife was unable to start the boat. The boat started taking on waves and started to sink. That is when she called 911.

When Warden arrived at Browders marina. Wardens launched their patrol boat and went out to locate the other missing person from the sunken boat. Once the wind started to die down, the USCG was called and a request was made for a helicopter to help search for the missing man.  San Jacinto County Game Wardens, Polk County Games Wardens and Lake Livingston State Park Police officer continued to search the area for the missing man. Cape Royal VFD came back out and also continued to search. The USCG helicopter arrived and started to search the area. They found him between Pine Island and the Lake Livingston Dam. Game Wardens pulled him from the water and took him to Browders Marina.  EMS then transported him to the hospital in Livingston where he was kept overnight for hyperthermia and observation.


BARDID: TX-2023-0150
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0014 AMISTAD
NearestCityTown: Del Rio
County: 233 VAL VERDE
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On 09/03/2023 at approximately 3:10PM, subject1 was found floating in the water, (N29.546342, W101.208124) near the PWC she was riding/operating (2022 SeaDoo), by her husband who was on another PWC. 

Subject1 jumped into the water and grabbed Victim who was still breathing and towed her to a rock outcrop along the steep cliff bank of the water. He waved down a passerby in a bass boat who loaded Victim and Subject1 on to the boat and brought them to the Box Canyon boat ramp. 

There were no witnesses to the events leading up to and the crash that occurred. US Border Patrol agents met the bass boat carrying Victim at the boat dock. US Border Patrol EMT attempted CPR but there were no further signs of life by the time they reached the dock. JP pronounced Victim dead at 6:00PM. 

 Autopsy and toxicology report still pending. 

Crash still under investigation by TPWD STORM team.

End of Report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0151
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1512 SABINE RIVER
NearestCityTown: BURKEVILLE
County: 176 NEWTON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On July 16, 2023, at approximately 3:34 P.M., I, State Game Warden, received a call from the Newton County Sheriff's Office about a boat accident on the Sabine River north of State Highway 63E. I was then contacted by Burkeville VFD Fire Chief, stating he was on scene via land with a victim of the accident. Chief advised that I didn’t need to bring a boat and would be able to get to the location by vehicle. I responded to the scene of the accident by accessing the Sabine ATV Park and driving onto the sandbar of the river. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Burkeville VFD first responders, Allegiance Ambulance Service, and multiple family members of those involved in the accident were all on scene. 

Upon my arrival, I was immediately met by Chief who notified me of a deceased person on the sandbar who was a victim of the boat accident. Chief provided me with the information he had about the accident and victim.  I was then met by the responding paramedic who informed me of the extent of the victim’s injuries and provided me with a copy of the ECG print out. He then directed me to a man sitting on the sandbar who was involved in the accident. I contacted the man sitting on the sandbar. I interviewed individual regarding the events that had taken place and who was involved. After speaking with him, I determined he was the operator of the boat at the time of the accident as well as the owner of the vessel. He stated the occupants included: himself; his nephew and victim; a second nephew, identified; and his niece, identified. siblings and were all present on scene. I interviewed every occupant, excluding the victim, individually to obtain everyone’s account of the events that had occurred resulting in the boat accident. I examined the scene of the accident, including the boat, motor, and the contents. A visual examination was conducted and his sustained injuries. All information was documented with photographs taken.

My investigation indicated this incident involved a single outboard vessel (“Vessel 1”), three males and one female, with good clear weather conditions. There was no indication of alcohol or drugs as contributing factors to the incident. The boat contained all the necessary water safety equipment required by law to include a PFD for all the occupants. The purpose of the boating trip was to recover a boat motor the victim lost in the river the day before. The following is the sequence of events that occurred prior to and during the incident:

At approximately 3:00 P.M., all were headed north on the Sabine River in an area known as Scoggin’s Bend. They were traveling in 15’ AlumaCraft boat equipped with a 25 hp tiller drive motor. Operator was the operator and was sitting on the starboard side of the back bench seat of the boat. Occupant was sitting next to him on the port side. Another occupant was sitting on an ice chest in the middle of the boat while another was sitting on the deck of the boat located at the bow. As they approached the bend in the river, Operator put the boat in full throttled to get on plane to lift the lower unit of the motor higher in the water. He did this because he knew the area was shallow and wanted to keep from hitting submerged stumps, debris, or dragging the bottom of the river. Occupant directed Operator to hug the sandbar side of the river thinking there were less stumps. At this time, the boat motor struck a submerged stump causing the motor to jackknife up and over the transom, breaking completely off the transom, resulting in the propeller fatally striking Occupant in the head. According to Operator, the motor landed inside the boat and continued to run with the propeller spinning. he picked the motor up and threw it into the river. He stated he was wearing the lanyard to the cut-off switch of the motor, but it didn’t stop the motor until he threw it into the river. At this time, according to all involved, Deceased was leaning against the gunwale of the boat and eventually fell over into the water. Upon seeing him fall in the water, Operator jumped in the water, recovered him, and took him to the bank of the river where he began CPR.

As noted above, Deceased was fatally struck by the boat motor propeller resulting in deep lacerations beginning at the back of his head, along his upper back, on back of his right arm, and on the back of his right leg. An inquest was performed.  

Note: Upon inspection of the boat and motor, the motor was clearly bolted down onto transom. The cast iron mounting bracket broke upon impact causing the motor to completely come off the transom. The bolts and pieces of the mounting bracket remained attached to the transom.


BARDID: TX-2023-0152
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-01 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0723 TEXOMA
NearestCityTown: Denison
County: 091 GRAYSON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On Friday, September 1, 2023, at approximately 7:30 PM, a vessel bearing TX was on plane approximately ½ mile West of the Denison Dam boat ramp. The vessel is a 2022 Starcraft. The vessel was owned and operated. Operator was operating the vessel into a small cove at a speed which he approximates to be between 20 to 25 mph. 

Operator turned starboard. Operator stated that the water was more shallow than normal, and he ran aground. Damage to the vessel was: minor chips in the fiberglass on the starboard side towards the stern of the vessel, a minor chip at the middle bottom of the stern, the motor broke off, and the prop was broken. Operator suffered a minor injury to one of his toes on his left foot. Operator stated that his toenail broke off and bled.


BARDID: TX-2023-0153
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 04:27:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 3320 TRES PALACIOS BAY
NearestCityTown: Palacios
County: 158 MATAGORDA
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On August 8, 2023 at approximately 0400 hours a single engine sailboat caught fire in the Serendipity marina in Matagorda Co. Local PD and Fire Department responded. The owner of the sailboat, was able to exit the sailboat without injury. Cause of fire was electrical.

END OF REPORT.


BARDID: TX-2023-0154
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:45:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0061 BELTON (BELL CO)
NearestCityTown: Temple
County: 014 BELL
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Other
OtherAccidentEvent: Finger stuck in rope
RedactedNarrative:
On July 4, 2023, Texas Game Wardens in Bell County were dispatched to Westcliff Park on Lake Belton regarding two vessels and two individuals that were involved in an incident that resulted in one person injured that needed medical attention.

The owner of both vessels was operating V2 while towing V1 occupied by the injured person identified.  After V2 became disabled near the falls, they retrieved it with V1 and a tow rope.  Upon entering the cove at idle speeds, both individuals advised the ramp was busy and waited for the congestion to clear approximately 50' away from the ramp.  When they decided to tow again, Injured's left hand became entangled between the towline and the rail of V1 which caused the 'degloving' of the middle digit.

EMS was preparing him for transport, and I requested follow up information which I never received.  When I initiated this report about a week later, I experienced multiple accessibility issues which were resolved at a much later date.

Prior to completing this report, I attempted to contact him for an update on his injury but did not receive a call back.

NFI


BARDID: TX-2023-0155
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-01-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 08:42:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2350 WEST BAY
NearestCityTown: jamica beach
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On the 20th day of January 2023, GPD Officer 1 and Officer 2 were dispatched to 13000-blk of Settagast Rd in reference to a missing person. They were contacted and advised that the missing person took a kayak out earlier that morning but had not returned. They responded to the area and spoke with the family on scene. The officer was advised that O1 would bring his whitish grey kayak to Galveston to fish on a regular basis. He was described as an experienced kayaker and a good swimmer, stated to always have a life jacket on his vessel but unknown if he was wearing it. He brings waders with him but typically doesn`t wear them while on the vessel. The wife advised that her husband didn`t have any medical conditions.

He left around 0330am that morning. His wife was busy at work all day and didn`t think of anything when she didn`t hear from him all day. She was surprised he hadn`t returned by the time she had gotten off of work and his phone went to voicemail when she called. She drove to Galveston and used her phone app to track his last location about 100 yard from a kayak boat ramp on Settagast Rd. His truck was on location but unable to locate him when the family called 911.

Due to increased wind and rain, the officers were unable to fly the drones in the area. The weather showed a constant wind blowing towards the west through the day around 17 mph. United States Coast Guard (USCG) was contacted for assistance. They advised they were waiting on weather conditions to clear up before they could send a helicopter to assist. JBFD was contacted and they were able to send a PWC to assist in searching the shallow water area near the boat ramp around West Bay.

His wife had seen her husband highlight Carancahua Lake on the map as a possible fishing site. She asked her husband how he was going to get there and he advised that he had a trolling motor on his kayak to cross West Bay.

USCG had sent vessels to search around the ICW near Greens and Carancahua Lake. Brazoria Search and Rescue contacted the officer and advised the USCG requested their assistance. They were going to launch near Chocolate Bayou and run up the ICW in an airboat to check further up in Carancahua Lake.

On 01/22/2023 Officer was advised by Lt. that O1 was located deceased. The Galveston Marine Division assisted with the recovery and transport of the body. he met Lt. and the Marine Division at the Pelican Rest Marina. In the boat He observed the body to be in a yellow mesh body bag and he observed the body to be face up, wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, tan shorts, long underpants, socks, and gloves. Also observed was a fully inflated personal floatation device on the chest (PFD). the PFD to have a CO2 canister and a pull tab when pulled it releases the CO2 canister inflating the device. It appeared the pull tab had been pulled. No obvious external injuries, and the body was observed to be in rigor mortis.


BARDID: TX-2023-0156
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0128 CADDO
NearestCityTown: Karnack
County: 102 HARRISON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
State Game Warden, on patrol on Caddo lake 9/3/23, received a call from the Harrison Co Sheriff's Office approximately 730 PM regarding a single vessel crash with no injuries. Operator was close to the location and responded. Operator observed a vessel with the bow of the boat out of the water and the rest submerged. Operator checked the individuals for injuries and asked if they wanted an ambulance to check the out. There were no injuries and declined an ambulance. Operator asked who drove the boat. The driver identified him self. The owner of the boat was identified. Individual asked what happened. Operator said that he was driving the boat and they were coming down river around a curve. He had the throttle at maximum and the rear of the boat began to slide and drift. It caught and propelled them into a tree and onto the bank. Individual corroborated that they were going fast around a corner and slid around and into a tree and into the bank. There were no injuries. The boat was secured to the bank and the occupants of the vessel were given a ride to a residence where they were staying.


BARDID: TX-2023-0157
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1530 SAN JACINTO RIVER
NearestCityTown: Atoscocita
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
AccidentEvent3: Capsizing
RedactedNarrative:
on Sept 9, 2023 at approximately 6:30 pm two PWCs collided with each other on the San Jacinto River. V1 was traveling down river when it noticed two PWCs coming up river. The Two PWCs were adjacent to one another but were traveling in a straight path. Both V1 and V2 did not attempt avoidance maneuvers. V1 continued at plaining speed while V2 attempted to throttle down but continue in the same path. This is evident as V2 received damage mainly to the bottom of the vessel in a straight line path of engagement.  

Operator of V2 ejected to the starboard side and ended up in the water were he was recovered by V1 and returned to land. V1 received damage to the the front bow starboard side with breaking the fiberglass and rubrail removed and embedded in the bottom of V2. V2 was towed to riverside beach upside down and on the beach were it was later recovered by the owner. V2 operator received a minor laceration to the chin but did not seek medical attention that day.


BARDID: TX-2023-0158
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 06:16:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 3320 TRES PALACIOS BAY
NearestCityTown: Palacios
County: 158 MATAGORDA
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
AccidentEvent3: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
On September 20th, 2023 at approximately 6:16am, Vessel #1 was rounding Oliver Point from Coon Island Bay headed towards the Oyster Lake Bridge running on top when the vessel struck one of two wooden poles located approx. 200 feet from the shoreline. Vessel #1 struck the southern most pole with its port side with a glancing hit ejecting the driver and both passengers from the boat. All three subjects were uninjured and walked to the shore through the shallow water as the vessel continued out into the open bay still on top. Vessel #1 began a clockwise circle which got tighter as it continued.  

The operator of vessel #1 was then able to contact his wife to help find someone to assist in retrieving the runaway boat. In the meantime the three occupants were able to flag down a passing vessel who picked them up and transported them to a nearby shrimp boat that was friends with the operator of vessel #1 who they had also contacted. As they made it to the shrimp boat, the two passengers boarded the shrimp boat and the vessel #1 operator got onto Vessel #2 who was called and responded to help with the situation. The two now on vessel #2 grabbed a rope and grappling hook from the shrimp boat with the plan to stop vessel #1 by entangling a rope in the prop which was unsuccessful, they then tried to use the grappling hook to hook the throttle again with no success. The two then planned to jump onto the runaway boat.  Vessel #2 approached vessel #1 and vessel #1 operator jumped for the boat but was unable to make it onto the deck but was able to grab onto the side where he was able to hang on for just a few seconds before falling into the water.  Vessel #1 then ran over its original operator two times before he could be pulled from the water by Vessel #2 and its operator. 911 was called at 8:08am as vessel #2 transported the injured subject back to the Palacios boat ramp. I arrived on scene at the boat ramp shortly after the 911 call was made as vessel #2 made it to the boat ramp. The vessel #1 operator sustained severe lacerations to his left arm and hand as well as a near amputation of lower half of his left foot. The injured was transported to the Palacios Community Medical Center where he was life flighted to a Houston hospital for treatment. At the time of the initial accident the conditions were dark with sunrise being 7:12am that morning. 

When Vessel #1 was later recovered around 10:30am after running out of gas, the kill switch lanyard was found clipped in a circle draped over the throttle handle which was pushed all the way forward. No alcohol or evidence of such was located on the vessel. The operator of vessel #1 was ticketed for not wearing his kill switch lanyard.


BARDID: TX-2023-0159
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:15:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2180 GALVESTON BAY
NearestCityTown: TEXAS CITY
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
AccidentEvent3: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
ON SPETEMBER 22, 2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 4:15PM IN TEXAS CITY TEXAS IN GALVESTON COUNTY NEAR THE TEXAS CITY DIKE, A SINGLE VESSEL INCIDENT OCCURED WITH FOUR OCCUPANTS ONBOARD. THE VESSEL WAS HEADING INTO THE LAST BOAT RAMP AT THE END OF THE TEXAS CITY DIKE, WHILE A SHIP TRAVELEING NORTH IN THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL CAUSED THE WATER LEVEL NEAR THE DIKE TO RECEDE RAPIDLY CAUSING THE VESSEL TO REST ON THE SEA FLOOR MOMENTARILY BEFORE THE WATER LEVEL RETURNED, CREATING A WAVE THAT CAPSIZED THE VESSEL. THE OWNER AND OPERATOR OF THE VESSEL, WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND SUSTAINED A BROKEN LEFT CLAVICAL, FRACTURED LEFT RIBS, AND FRACTURE TO SPINE. ANOTHER OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED A CONTUSION TO THE FOREHEAD AND A LACERATION TO THE CALF PORTION OF HIS LEG. THE OTHER TWO OCCUPANTS DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES.


BARDID: TX-2023-0160
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:15:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0235 WALTER E. LONG
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
AccidentEvent3: Capsizing
RedactedNarrative:
Operator2 (unit 2 driver) stated that he was driving parallel on the left side of unit 1. Unit 2 (Operator2) was traveling approximately 30 mph when the driver of unit 1 made an abrupt left turn in front of him, leaving him no time to take evasive actions or to slow down.  

Operator2 (unit 2) said the front of his Jet Ski collided with the left side of the other Jet Ski (unit1). The bottom front (bow) of unit 2 impacted the forward left side of the unit 1 under the steering handles. Two occupants of unit 2 were ejected and 3 occupants of unit 1 were ejected during the crash. 

After the impact unit 2 Jet ski flipped to the left and took on water but did not sink. Unit 1 passengers were all struck on their left legs before being thrown off the Jet Ski. Unit 1 Jest ski also flipped but did not take on water.

Operator2's brother, who was aboard unit 2 also stated that the unit 1 had crossed in front of them causing them to collide.


BARDID: TX-2023-0161
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-26 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0033 AUSTIN
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper loading
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Subject was swimming off the aft end of the boat which was adrift. When subject was exiting the water onto the boat the subject fell and dislocated her right shoulder.


BARDID: TX-2023-0162
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:08:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0033 AUSTIN
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On9/2/2023 while assigned to the lake patrol unit, officer and i, officer 2 Were dispatched to assist a boat that was stationary in the water of lake austin in zone 10. The Boat was struck by 2 separate wakes at the same time from boats that had passed on opposite sides Of the boat.

The driver:
Was operating the boat (vessel1) 
Make: tahoe year: 2022 expires: 9/30123 length:  21'1"
Propel: outboard fuel: gasoline material: fiberglass boat:open use:pleasure

O1 stated that they were not moving in the water when 2 separate boat one on each side waked them At the same time. This caused the boat to go up then come down, along with 2 older passengers. Both The passengers  came down hard on to the boat causing pain to both of their backs, they were Identified lakemed unit that was riding with us assisted both of the patients as we towed the boat side b.y Side at a slow pace to get to the ems land units. Once on land the patients were both transported To the hospital and treated in the er.


BARDID: TX-2023-0163
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:35:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0582 JOE POOL
NearestCityTown: GRAND PRAIRIE
County: 057 DALLAS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Restricted vision
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
Unit 1, Suntracker pontoon boat, was pulling out of the marina near A dock when she struck the end 
of the dock with her vessel. Unit 2 was moored/unoccupied in the slip closest to the dock where 
Unit 1 struck. Unit 2 did not get struck by Unit 1, but appeared to have some scratches and a gouge 
from the dock on the port side. A Dock had damage to the end of the dock where Unit 1 struck the 
dock. Marina manager was on scene and given report number, driver of unit 1 received report number, 
and the owner of unit 1 received two citations, listed in this report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0164
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:25:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0033 AUSTIN
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was traveling straight ahead while towing a tube with two individuals in it. Vessel 1 hit a wake and (passenger in the boat) lifted in the air approximately a foot and landed back down. The impact when she landed caused an injury to her lower back. She was then transported by EMS to the hospital.


BARDID: TX-2023-0165
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:10:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0033 AUSTIN
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
AccidentEvent2: Grounding
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On 8-13-2023 at approximately 18:14 I Officer was working Lake Patrol on Lake Austin when I was advised by APO dispatch about a boat crash at Zone 14 near Commons Ford Ranch Park. The call updates read that it was a single boat crash where the boat hit the shoreline and people were ejected. I was also advised that a 14 year boy was missing underwater and not surfaced so a water search with emergency crews was immediately conducted. Upon arrival I observed the crashed boat (Vessel #1) on the shore where it appeared it had impacted a large tree. The crashed vessel was a blue and white 2008 Tige 22i with heavy damage to the front and right side of the hull. 

The driver of Vessel #1 stated there were 7 occupants in the boat before the crash as they were traveling eastbound downriver in the middle of Lake Austin when a large wake created by a passing boat approached their boat. When the wake hit Vessel #1 it caused subject to fall out of the driver seat and hit the throttle causing the boat to accelerate at a high rate of speed.

 The driver's husband saw the boat traveling towards the shoreline and tried to gain control of the boat by making his way to the driver seat but was unable to. Vessel #1 impacted the shoreline at high speed but it was unclear if all of the occupants were ejected before the crash or when it hit the shore. 

Four of the boat occupants were transported to nearby hospitals with serious injuries, two boat occupants were treated by EMS for minor injuries and refused transport, and the single missing 14 year old boy was later recovered from the water but was pronounced deceased. He showed to have extensive crash injuries to his right torso, right arm, and the right side of his head. The boat had a total of 7 passengers and the remaining 5 passengers besides were identified.


BARDID: TX-2023-0166
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 6093 PORT ARANSAS PASS
NearestCityTown: Port Aransas
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: Y
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 09/16/23, I State Game Warden  investigated a boat accident at the Port Aransas ship channel.  Vessel 1 was underway in the center of the ship channel and Vessel 2 was underway toward Vessel 1.  While vessel 2 was underway toward vessel 1 approaching Vessel 1 on the starboard side.  Operator of Vessel 1 observed and realized that Vessel 2 had the right of way and reduced speed.  Vessel 2 realized that they needed to go pass Vessel 1 or turn away.  Vessel 2 decided to turn to port.  The operator of Vessel 2 described the water as very rough and was afraid of giving the vessel to much throttle as he felt he would lose control and then panicked.  Vessel 1 observed the operator of Vessel 2 trying to turn away from Vessel 1 but while turning reduced power and failed to get out of the way of approaching Vessel 1.  Vessel 1 realized that the accident was unavoidable, so the operator immediately reversed the engines upon contact to reduce impact on Vessel 2.  Upon impact it was observed that Vessel 2 flipped over, and the driver was ejected in the water.  Vessel 2 recover was made and was able to drive away Vessel 1 described that upon impact the operator was afraid of running over the occupant of vessel 2 and immediately shut the engines off on Vessel 1.  According to witnesses on Vessel 1 the operator of Vessel 2 panicked and reduced power and failed to complete the turn to get out of the way.  

Medical attention was sought for Vessel 2 operator but was cleared with no injuries.  Based of the investigation it was found that Vessel 2 operator did not have Boaters Education, was a 1st time operator of a rented personal watercraft, was in violation of 50 ft rule violation and plainly explained he was very inexperienced. It was also found that the Operator of Vessel 2 was wearing PFD and an engine cut off -switch.  Lastly the Operator of Vessel 2 explained to me that he was afraid of loosing control of the vessel and was trying to turn slowly to get out of the way.  Vessel 2 operator explained that minutes before the collision happened a huge barge navigated the pass and caused severe waves.


BARDID: TX-2023-0167
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0152 CEDAR CREEK (LAKE)
NearestCityTown: Trinidad
County: 107 HENDERSON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On September 23, 2023, I was contacted by Henderson County dispatch concerning a jet ski accident that had occurred on Cedar Creek Lake.  Dispatch relayed to me that 4 females had been involved in a jet ski accident and that all 4 occupants were accounted for and safely on land.  I was informed that one occupant, was care flighted to Parkland due to injuries sustained from the accident and another transported by ambulance.  I arrived on scene and contacted those who were at the boat house with one of the skis involved while waiting for the other to be towed in by local volunteer fire department rescue boat.  During our visit I determined that owner was the owner of the lake house property and the owner of both jet skis.  I gathered the information for all 4 females occupants involved and waited for the 2nd jet ski to be towed to the residence.  Once the 2nd jet ski was secured at the residence I noted visible marks and damage on both skis. 

In conversation with the Volunteer Fire Department, I was told that Operator 2 sustained major injuries to her right side including her hip area and leg.  Injured 2 had superficial bruising on her right extremities as well. 
From the marks on the skis, I gathered that the ski  operated by Operator 2 and rider struck the starboard side of the other ski operated by Operator 2 and rider Injured 2. 

I contacted Warden who is a member of the TPWD STORM team and informed him of the accident and injuries sustained to the occupants from the collision of the skis.  Warden's role on the STORM team is to gather evidence from both skis involved and reconstruct the accident with factors that played a role in causing the accident.

On September 24, 2023, I met Warden at the lake house where the accident occurred and where both vessels were located.  I assisted Warden in taking measurements and photos for his report.

Statements from all the occupants on the skis involved during the accident have been gathered or are in the process.

END OF REPORT


BARDID: TX-2023-0168
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1260 HALLS BAYOU
NearestCityTown: alvin
County: 020 BRAZORIA
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On September 30th 2023, I Texas Game Warden, received a phone call from the Brazoria County Sheriffs Office Dispatch regarding a boat accident on Hall's Bayou. The call was in reference to 2 vessel accident with injuries.

I arrived on scene at approximately 12:48 PM.  When I arrived on scene I saw a boat at halls bayou boat ramp, still in the water, with an individual laying in the boat.  Fire and EMS were on scene trying performing CPR on Owner/Operator/Deceased of Boat2.  OPERATOR2 was later put in the ambulance and taken to the hospital.  

I found one of the boys who was involved in the accident, standing next to his dad. I stated who I was, and asked him for his ID and he then proceeded to tell me what transpired.  SUBJECT1 told me both boats came around a curve and collided. SUBJECT1 stated they all flew out of the boat. He saw a man (OPERATOR2) bleeding in the water, put him in the boat and started doing CPR on him.


I walked over to subject2 asked him for an ID and stated who I was and why I was there.  I asked SUBJECT2 to tell me what happened.  SUBJECT2 stated they got to a curve, and he saw a boat and pointed at it.  Stated OPERATOR2 took a hard right turn and right before the other boat made impact with them, SUBJECT2 jumped out of the boat.  SUBJECT2 stated he saw OPERATOR2 belly up in the water and swam over to him and put him back into OPERATOR2's boat.  They tied a rope to the 4 boy's boat and tried to tow OPERATOR2's boat in with the body in it.  SUBJECT2 stated he tried to give OPERATOR2 CPR.  I asked SUBJECT2 if he would write a statement and he agreed to do so.

I walked over to subject3.  I asked SUBJECT3 who was driving and he told me operator1.  I asked SUBJECT3 if he would write a statement for me and provide me identification.  He text me his driver's license because he did not have his physical ID on him.  I asked SUBJECT3 to tell me what happened. SUBJECT3 stated they were coming back in from fishing.  He said he was on his phone and then he looked up and both boats collided.  He jumped out of the boat, into the water, and when he surfaced he saw OPERATOR2 floating.  I asked SUBJECT3 if there was any alcohol in the boat and he said no.  I asked SUBJECT3 to sit inside my truck so we can draw a diagram of where everybody was sitting on the boat that he was on.  He did so.  I then asked him to draw a diagram of the bayou and which way the boats were traveling and how they collided with one another.  He did so. I then left SUBJECT3 in my truck so he could complete a statement.

I then found the one operating the vessel at the time of the accident.  I stated who I was and asked him to explain to me what happened.  OPERATOR1 stated they got to the boat ramp around 8-8:15AM.  They went out fishing in Halls and Chocolate Bayou.  They were coming back in from fishing and headed back to the boat ramp and when they got into the bend of the bayou he saw the boat and stated he turned right and the other boat turned right but then later stated the they both turned in to each other.  OPERATOR1 stated once they hit the boat, he blacked out, then gained consciousness.  They lifted OPERATOR2 out of the water and put OPERATOR2 back on OPERATOR2's boat.  They tied a rope on OPERATOR2's boat and started towing OPERATOR2's boat back to the boat ramp. I asked  OPERATOR1 who was driving the other boat and he stated OPERATOR2 was the one driving the other boat.  I asked OPERATOR1 if he was wearing a kill switch, and he said no.

At approximately 2:30PM, Game Wardens launched our boat on Hall's Bayou.  SUBJECT2 agreed to go with us so he could show us where OPERATOR2's boat was and the whereabouts of the boat accident.  We found OPERATOR2's boat in the bayou with the motor knocked off into the water.  Pictures were taken.  We tried to put the motor back in the boat but it was too heavy for us to place back inside the boat. 

We tied OPERATOR2's boat up next to our boat and tried to tow it in.  OPERATOR2's son approached us in his boat and we had him pull the boat back to the boat ramp so we could proceed to the location where the accident took place.  We approached the bend in the bayou where the accident took place.  Cat tails along the bank were knocked over where the boats had driven into them.  I also saw one of the boy's crocs (shoe) where the cat tails had folded over from the boat(s) running into them.  GPS coordinates and pictures were taken of where we believed the accident took place.

Both vessels involved in the accident were taken to the Brazoria County Sheriffs Office.

On 10/07/2023, I traveled to OPERATOR1 home address to question OPERATOR1 about the boat accident.  OPERATOR1 parents were present during the questioning. OPERATOR1 told me what be believed happened on Hall's Bayou on the day of the accident and also drew a diagram of what he believed happened.  


BARDID: TX-2023-0169
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0128 CADDO
NearestCityTown: Karnack
County: 102 HARRISON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Missing or inadequate navigation aids
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
ON 9/23/23, Game Warden, on patrol in Harrison county, received a call from Harrison County Dispatch regarding a boat crash on Caddo Lake. The Callers said they hit a submerged object and were listing and taking on water. Occupant called Game Warden who was on the lake to go get them and meet him at a private boat ramp near their location. There were no injuries to the operator or the passenger. The operator, identified, told Operator they were navigating on Caddo Lake at idle speed or just above it and hit a submerged object. The submerged object knocked off the back endcap of the left pontoon, causing the boat to list. The submerged object also cracked the skag on the lower unit of the motor. They were able to get the boat on the trailer. They then left the scene.


BARDID: TX-2023-0170
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0128 CADDO
NearestCityTown: KARNACK
County: 102 HARRISON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Failure to vent
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (non-fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
On September 23, 2023, Game Warden received a call from the Harrison County Sheriff's office regarding a boat explosion. Warden was working a crash on a different vessel, so Game Warden checked on the crash. A vessel bearing registration driven by Operator, was near Johnson's Ranch Marina when the boat motor exploded. The breathing/venting port was clogged and caused the engine to overheat and explode. There three other people in the boat, two of which sustained burn injuries due to the fire. Operator was in the front right on the vessel, his son was behind him, sustained minor burn injuries to his feet, left shin, and right knee. Injured 1 was another passenger who was in the front left of the boat and her daughter  was in the back rear or the boat. Injured 2 sustained minor burn injuries to her feet, lower back, and knee. Civilians near the vessel stopped and rendered aid with fire extinguishers and medical equipment. An ambulance was called to check out the injured children. Once they were checked out by EMS personnel, the adults refused transport, informing that if more treatment was needed then they would self transport to the hospital. Operator retrieved his vehicle and loaded the boat on his trailer. Others left the scene.


BARDID: TX-2023-0171
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 6093 PORT ARANSAS PASS
NearestCityTown: PORT ARANSAS
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On September 29, 2023, at approximately 11:00 AM, I, Texas Game Warden received a call from Port Aransas Police Department about a vessel collision with no injuries that occurred in the Port Aransas Marina. 

Subject1 informed me that her rental vessel (Vessel 1) had been in a collision while her client was operating the vessel with another vessel. (Vessel 2) that was docked at the time of the collision. The operator, stated to me that the throttle and the wind were the reasons that he collided with the docked vessel. 

Operator1 was trying to turn Vessel 1 around in a small area near Vessel 2 after attempting to get fuel. Operator1 turned around put the vessel in forward gear and attempted turn to the right and struck the port motor of Vessel 2.

 After inspection of the vessel by a mechanic immediately after the accident the throttle worked fine, and the wind was blowing light at the time of the accident. The damage to Vessel 1 was sustained on the port gunwale above the pontoon on the gate around the deck. 

There are two tears from where the gate struck the Vessel 2's skeg which was completely raised out of the water. Other minor damage was sustained to Vessel 1 in various places including the bow area rub rail. Vessel 2 sustained damage to the skeg of its port engine. Vessel 2 was inspected by a marine dealer and was quoted for damage for a rebuild/replace lower unit for the port engine.


BARDID: TX-2023-0172
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:38:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 8230 LOWER LAGUNA MADRE
NearestCityTown: South Padre Island
County: 031 CAMERON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
I, Texas Game Warden was contacted on Saturday September 30, 2023, by South Padre Island Police Department Dispatch about a personal water craft (PWC) that crashed into the Cassowary Bridge. SPI Dispatch advised that both the driver and passenger were escorted to Jim’s Pier by another vessel, and the passenger may have sustained series bodily injuries. 

On are about 2:15 pm, I made contact with SPI Police Officer at Jim’s Pier. Officer advised the passenger of the PWC was transported by EMS to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, TX to seek further medical assistance. 

I then went to speak with Operator, Operator stated that he and Occupant launched the PWC from Boardwalk Condominium Yacht Club. Operator stated that he was following another PWC going south under the cassowary, when he hit a wave. Operator stated he tried to turn the PWC but couldn’t, causing him to strike the pillar under the bridge. 

Operator said the right side of the PWC scrapped the pillar, he and Occupant were both ejected from the PWC. Operator advised he thinks he and Occupant both hit the bridge. 

Operator stated they just started their day, and they were on the water for 10 to 15 minutes before the accident occurred. Operator denied medical treatment but was also having pain in his right arm. Operator stated he was going to a hospital after we finished talking to him. 

Good Sam stated that Operator was holding Occupant above water, and she appeared to be unconscious. Good Sam stated that he drove to their location to assist with holding Occupant above the water. Good Sam stated that a vessel passing by took Operator and Occupant on bored and drove them to Jim’s Pier for medical assistance. 

Good Sam stated he secured the PWC and returned it to Boardwalk Condominium Yacht Club. Good Sam agreed to give a written statement. I departed from Jim’s Pier so we could take possession of the PWC for pictures. We identified the PWC as a black, orange, and white PWC bearing registration number. We towed the PWC to a public boat ramp near Longboard Bar and Grill and loaded the PWC on to a trailer. The PWC was transported to Texas Parks and Wildlife Boat Barn in Bayview, TX for pictures and safe keeping. We attempted to locate the pillar that was struck, but were unsuccessful. On Sunday October 01, 2023, Texas Game Warden located the pillar that was struck and documented it via Coordinates and digital pictures.

 I then made contact with Occupant via Telephone. Occupant stated she did not receive any series injuries, just sore and had a cut on her right cheek. Occupant stated she was behind Operator, and she does not remember seeing a wave. Occupant stated she felt something push them towards the pillar, but she did not think they were going to hit it. Occupant stated that she remembers the PWC hitting the pillar, and the next thing she remembers is getting helped on to the vessel. Occupant stated she did not pay attention to her surrounding, because she was behind Operator on the PWC. On Friday October 13, 2003, I made contact via Telephone with Operator. Operator stated again that he was following behind Good Sam when he hit a wave. Operator stated that he slowed down when he hit the wave. Then he and Occupant struck the pillar and were ejected.


BARDID: TX-2023-0173
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-07 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 08:55:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 7370 UPPER LAGUNA MADRE
NearestCityTown: Corpus Christi
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On or about the 7th of October 2023. I, State Game Warden, received a phone call at approximately 0800 in the morning regarding a boat accident that occurred in the Upper Laguna Madre Bay system. Based on information provided by both parties, the accident occurred in a channel that parallels the JFK Causeway at approximately (27 degrees38'00''N 97degrees14'29''W) by the wooden sign that is located on the south side of the channel entrance. The caller was later identified whom is a passenger in vessel number 2 in this report. I arrived on scene at approximately 0855 and came into contact  Operator is the owner and operator of vessel number 1 in this report. 

After speaking with Operator, he advised me that he was trying to go into the channel that parallels the JFK causeway, he mentioned that vessel 2 was, "doing some kind of turn" in the entrance to the channel, he mentioned that he blared his horn at them until they saw him because he wanted to go that way. Operator again mentioned that they were turning into the channel. He said that he couldn't go in there because he didn't know what they were doing. He mentioned again that he blared his horn to make them aware that he was there. He also mentioned that he was giving them a wide berth because of the sign that was at the south end of that channel. He mentioned that he was going, "further out that way" as he gestured his hands as if he was getting closer to the sign. He then states that, they finally saw him, and that he was just letting them know he was there. He then states again that he didn't know what they were doing but vessel 2 started drifting towards him. Operator 1 said he accelerated a little bit and ran into the pole (wooden sign at south end of channel entrance), bounced off of it and said that vessel 2 was next to his and when he bounced off of the pole, he bounced onto vessel 2. Operator 1 said the port side hit the sign and the starboard, front, side hit vessel 2. After listening to Operator 1 side of what happened I made sure no medical attention was needed. No one wanted medical attention. I conducted my water safety inspection of vessel 1 and found that they had 2 of 4 life jackets. This made them insufficient 2 life jackets for the amount of people on board. There was a total of 4 people on vessel 1. After speaking with Operator and conducting my investigation/ water safety inspection on vessel 1, I went to vessel 2 and began my investigation. 

I Approached vessel 2 and announced myself as Game Warden, and asked if everyone was Ok and if anyone needed EMS and I was advised that EMS was not needed. I identified the two individuals on Vessel 2 and they were owner/ operator and caller/ passenger. After identifying the two individuals, I conducted my water safety inspection on vessel 2. Once the water safety inspection was complete, I asked Operator what happened. Operator explained that their boat (vessel 2) was in-between the channel marker (white PVC pipe at North part of Channel entrance) and the sign (wooden sign at south end of the channel entrance). Operator told me that they were inside the channel marker and that he (Operator boat, vessel 1) and says, "Just letting you know, I'm here, I'm coming this way". Operator said that he went in-between them and the sign, bounced off the sign and ran into their boat. I asked where he  hit. They showed me that he hit the rear, starboard side of the boat and the power pole. I saw fiberglass damage to the haul of vessel 2's boat where they said vessel 1 collided with their boat. I also stood at the bow of vessel 2's boat and looked back at the power pole and noticed that it was slightly bent towards the outboard motor. He advised me that the power pole still functioned. I asked the owner of the boat how much damage he thinks was done to the boat. They concluded and told me about $1,500.00. 

I then had Operator 2 draw on a piece of note paper that I had to the best that he can an image of what happened. Operator 2 explained to me that he tried to get away from vessel 1. He said that the pole (power pole) was down and made hand gestures saying that his boat was facing south bound because of the wind. This would put his boat facing the sign. Operator 2 explained to me that when he noticed that vessel 1 was heading towards them, that he turned but there was not enough time. After I concluded my investigation with vessel 2 and the occupants, I released them from the contact.

I then walked back over to Operator 1 and Vessel 1. I had Operator 1 draw on a piece of note paper I had on what happened the way he saw it. I explained to Operator 1 the violations he had with the water safety equipment. Operator 1 was cited 1 time for insufficient number of PFD's and given 1 warning for Insufficient number of PFD's. I then released Operator 1 and Vessel 1.

After assessing the damage on Vessel 1 and 2, and listening, Operators stories, I was able to come to a conclusion on what happened. I determined that vessel 1 hit the sign located at the south end of the channel entrance as they were headed into the channel. When vessel 1 hit the sign, it bounced off, and continued a path in the direction towards vessel 2. Vessel 1 tried to speed up to avoid collision with vessel 2. As Vessel 2 saw that vessel 1 was heading in their direction, the wind was pushing their boat to face south bound, and when vessel 2 turned to head out of the channel, the wind had pushed their boat further towards vessel 1 causing a collision. The damage from vessel 1's haul location matched the location of the damage on vessel 2's gunwale, side and power pole where vessel 1 had collided with vessel 2. Pictures and BWC are available. End Report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0174
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 6096 CORPUS CHRISTI CHANNEL
NearestCityTown: PORT ARANSAS
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (non-fuel)
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
On 10-13-2023 at approximately 730 PM, I Texas Game was patrolling the Port Aransas Jetty when I noticed a Jet Ski smoking in the channel. I proceeded to the location on land and noticed the jet ski had capsized and was unable to right itself. The operator was in the water with his PFD on. I called to him and had him swim towards the jetty. I grabbed Operator and pulled him onto the jetty and asked if he needed any medical attention. Operator stated no. Operator stated that he had been using the jet ski all day no problems. H was headed in for the night and the jet ski started smoking and went into limp mode. Operator stated that he took off the seat to see what was going on and noticed all the water in the engine compartment. Operator stated that within 2 minutes the vessel capsized, and he was unable to right the ski. USCG was notified of the navigational hazard in the Ship Channel and Tow Boat US was called to retrieve the vessel. The vessel was recovered and taken to the Port Aransas Marina.


BARDID: TX-2023-0175
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-14 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 8230 LOWER LAGUNA MADRE
NearestCityTown: Port Mansfield
County: 245 WILLACY
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On October 15, 2023, State Game Warden received a phone call from the Port Mansfield Navigation District regarding a boating accident that occurred at E Dock (026° 33' 09''N / 097° 25' 44''W) within the Port Mansfield Harbor. Based on information provided by the navigation district, the accident occurred on October 14, 2023, at approximately 1230 hrs. Two individuals on a vessel (Vessel 1) were attempting to dock but lost control and collided with two other docked vessels (Vessel 2 and Vessel 3). Vessel 2 and Vessel 3 were docked and not being used during the time of the accident. 

According to Operator, him and his passenger launched Vessel 1 at a nearby public boat ramp and then made their way to dock vessel 1. Operator stated that it was very windy, but it was the only day someone was available to help him launch vessel 1. As Operator and his passenger approached the Dock, he stated that he attempted to dock multiple times but was unable to due to the wind being too strong. 

Operator also stated that he had just purchased Vessel 1 and it was his first time operating that type of vessel. While attempting to dock at a slow rate of speed, Operator was unable to maintain control and collided with Vessel 2, causing damage to its port and starboard sides along with also damaging its bow pulpit. Operator then collided with Vessel 3, causing damage to its starboard side gunwale railing. Operator's vessel (Vessel 1) also sustained damage to its mast during the accident. Operator was then able to dock Vessel 1 and secured it to the Dock. No injuries were reported.


BARDID: TX-2023-0176
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1530 SAN JACINTO RIVER
NearestCityTown: Sheldon
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause3: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 07162023 at approximately 1430 hours vessel 1 and vessel 2 collided on the San Jacinto River near grid coordinates N 29.889444 W -95.097195 which is within the boundaries of Harris County, Texas. Operator of vessel 1, Owner and passenger of vessel 1, Owner and passenger of vessel 2, and the Operator of vessel 2 attempted to report the incident to the Harris County Sherriff’s Office, however the report never made it Texas Parks and Wildlife. I (Texas Game Warden) was contacted on 07192023. 

I observed photographs of the damage to vessel 2 and of Operator 1 in the water next to vessel 1 after the accident sent from Operator 2 to my state cell phone. On 08032023 I traveled to residence of Operator 2. I took a statement from Operator 2. Operator 2 claimed that they were traveling north/northwest on the San Jacinto River. Operator 2 looked over her shoulder and observed Operator 1 on the port side of their boat. Operator 2 said she didn’t have any time to react as Operator 1 crashed into the portside of their boat near the portside entry gate and that Operator 1 was ejected. I analyzed the damage to vessel 2. It appeared to me that another vessel had approached vessel 2 from approximately 200 degrees +/- 10 and struck vessel 2 approximately midway. The other vessel likely would have ramped vessel 2 and then slid back down the portside railing of vessel two. I observed black transfer marks and gouge marks that had a downward trajectory. I observed a circular indention just aft of the portside entry gate that was likely the bow impact point. I observed a dented portside railing and alignment issues with the entry gate and canopy that was likely a result of the impact to the portside. Texas Game Warden contacted. Witness stated that Operator 1 was attempting to make a turn and collided with the pontoon boat. Operator 1 denied any involvement with the accident. Damage to vessel 1 was minor scratches to the hull. No injuries were reported.
 
Conclusion
Vessel 1 conducted a turn at a high rate of speed and noticed it was on a collision course with vessel 2 which was traveling north north/west on the San Jacinto River. Vessel 1 violated the 50-foot rule by coming within 50 feet of vessel 2 at greater than headway speed and was unable to avoid a collision with vessel 2. Vessel 1 struck vessel 2 at approximate impact angle of 200 degrees +/- 10 about midway on vessel 2. Vessel 1 ramped vessel 2 and pitched its starboard side up while sliding down the portside railing of vessel 2. The black transfer marks on vessel 2 match the black color of Vessel 1. The distance between the linear transfer marks on the portside railing of vessel 2 matches the spacing difference top to bottom of the black side rail on vessel 1.


BARDID: TX-2023-0177
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-11-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0143 CANYON
NearestCityTown: Canyon Lake
County: 046 COMAL
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentCause2: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
at about 10am on November 4th 2023, vessel one was out on canyon lake when an electrical issue caused the motor to turn off. The operator called for a tow and was tying a bow line when he slipped and hit his forehead on the cabin entrance. This caused a laceration, and he was treated by and released by emergency services. He then went to urgent care for stitches.


BARDID: TX-2023-0178
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:40:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0714 TAWAKONI
NearestCityTown: FLATS
County: 190 RAINS
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause3: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Capsizing
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator stated that he and two of his friends launched around 5:00pm from the thousand trails boat ramp on lake tawakoni. 

Operator stated that they were running jug lines when the wind started to pick up. Operator stated he had all occupants put on their pfd's and began making their way back towards the boat ramp. Operator stated they began taking waves over the bow of the boat and their pump could not keep up. Operator stated eventually they experience engine failure and the boat capsized after taking on too much water.  The vessel was recovered at the back of cedar cove the following day by the operator.


BARDID: TX-2023-0179
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-15 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1402 NECHES RIVER
NearestCityTown: Port Neches
County: 123 JEFFERSON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Missing or inadequate navigation aids
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
RedactedNarrative:
The vessel was travelling southbound at about 20-25 mph heading to Port Neches Boat Ramp. Vessel struck an unmarked partially submerge pipe near the McFadden Bend Cutoff (Reserve Fleet). No damage to the vessel itself but the motor had severe damage. The lower unit of the vessel was damaged. Suzuki 4 stroke 115hp. No injuries to report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0180
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-11-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 6130 CORPUS CHRISTI BAY
NearestCityTown: Corpus Christi
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 11-18-2023 at approximately 1816, I, Texas Game Warden received a call about a boating accident that occurred on the Intercoastal waterway in Corpus Christi County. OPERATOR was operating a 20' tiller drive Jon boat headed northbound on the east side of the ICW. 

The vessel was traveling between 15-20 MPH and collided with an unmarked channel marker. Operator stated that he was operating the vessel from the rear and the passenger was sitting on the seat on the bow of the vessel facing the rear and on his phone. 

Operator stated that the passenger obstructed his view causing him to collide with the pole. The collision caused Occupant to fall towards the bow of the vessel causing him to hit his head on either the pole or the bow of the vessel. 

The pole caused a piece of the trolling motor the fly towards the rear of the vessel striking Operator in the back of his head. Occupant was partially hanging out of the vessel and was pulled in by Operator. Occupant momentarily lost consciousness and was bleeding out of his right ear. Operator rushed to the residence of his girlfriend where EMS would evaluate and transport Occupant to Bay Area hospital. Occupant sustained a Temporal Lobe Fracture, Lower Skull Fracture, and a Minor Brain Bleed. Operator sustained a bump on the back of his head.


BARDID: TX-2023-0181
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-17 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1695 CLEAR CREEK
NearestCityTown: LEAGUE CITY
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
AccidentEvent2: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator1 stated that on 9/17/23 he was riding his jet ski on clear creek when he fell off and while swimming back to the jetski another jetski came around the corner and ran into his jetski. Operator1 stated he did not have any information on the other jetski as well as no witness information. Operator1 also stated that he did not call any police agencies or file a report of the accident with anyone shortly after it occurred. 

I asked operator1 to fill out a boat accident form with a narrative describing the incident and he wrote the following:

"i was riding up the creek hit some rough water that threw me off of the ski. A kid came around the corner on another jetski hit my ski on the side and took off."

Due to the amount of time (1 month) between the incident and the notification to tpwd of the incident, a proper and thorough accident investigation to determine fault and factors contributing to the incident was unable to be conducted as timeliness is key to the processing of evidence and statements.

Operator1 stated the registered owner is his wife which is what the tpwd records confirm.

End report.


BARDID: TX-2023-0182
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:09:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0316 GRANBURY
NearestCityTown: GRANBURY
County: 111 HOOD
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On 9/23/2023 at approximately 1719 hours, I was dispatched to a boat taking on water near buoy #28. Before my arrival, dispatch informed me that another vessel had stopped to render assistance to the PWC and that the were underway near buoy #24. 

I made contact with the vessel that was towing the PWC and took over the tow. I towed the PWC to DeCordova Bend dam park. I made contact with the PWC operator who advised that he was heading Westbound near buoy #28 and struck a submerged object causing the PWC to take on water. I observed a hole in the hull near the jet drive water intake.


BARDID: TX-2023-0183
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-06-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:03:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0033 AUSTIN
NearestCityTown: AUSTIN
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel traveling east along Lake Austin at an unknown speed. the Sea Ray was on the south shoreline, approx 10-15 ft from shoreline. Witness states the vessel did not deviate from it's path before striking a support column of a boat house causing significant damage to the vessel and boat house.


BARDID: TX-2023-0184
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 06:20:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2111 CLEAR LAKE (GALV. BAY)
NearestCityTown: HOUSTON
County: 101 HARRIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (non-fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel was berthed at Lakeside Yachting Center.  Owner reportedly awoke to smell of smoke and found vessel engulfed on fire.  He cut the vessel free from the mooring and moved it to open water to avoid the fire from spreading to adjacent vessels or structure.  Seabrook Volunteer FD responded on scene with other local agencies.  The fired was extinguished.  USCG Sector Houston personnel responded and declared the scene safe with no spill, environmental hazard, or obstruction to navigation.  Owner was advised by USCG personnel to remove vessel from water.  Lakeside Yachting Center confirmed the vessel was hauled out.  Despite repeat attempts, the owner would not return phone calls to the investigator.  Precise cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but suspected to be electrical in nature.


BARDID: TX-2023-0185
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-12-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:21:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0743 TRAVIS
NearestCityTown: Lago Vista
County: 227 TRAVIS
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper loading
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
On December 2, 2023, the family and guests were renting a house, and utilizing the boat dock and kayaks to recreate on Lake Travis/Colorado River. In the late morning around 11:00 am, Operator (60-year-old male) was in a one-seater blue kayak approximately 12ft in length with two grandkids on the kayak. The kayak did not have a motor and was paddle/oar propelled. The two grandkids were reported to be sitting towards the bow of the kayak. Subject1 and Subject2 were both wearing lifejackets. Operator was not wearing a lifejacket and was reported to be a good swimmer by his wife. Photos from the scene and statements from the lead investigator show an adult life jacket was stowed in the front hatch compartment of the kayak. 

At approximately 11:21am, the kayak with the three occupants capsized sending both kids and Operator into the water. No witnesses reported seeing the boat capsize or what immediately proceeded the capsizing. All that was reported was a commotion was heard coming from the water immediately after it capsized. Witness reports state that operator was able to assist both grandkids back into the kayak but then went underwater for an unknown duration and then resurfaced and held onto the kayak. 

A second kayak was near the boat dock or at the shore and one of the older grandkids paddled to the capsized kayak and tried to assist Operator who was reported to have a dazed look, glassed over eyes, and was not talking or responding. Operator was able to hold onto the kayak but was not able to keep his head above the water. 

The grandkid(s) had trouble holding onto Operator and daughter of Operator jumped into the water, with no PFD, and swam to Operator and pulled him back to the boat dock. She had trouble getting him onto the dock and eventually she and subject3 were able to pull him out of the water and onto the west side of the dock. He was not responsive or breathing and CPR was initiated by the family. Travis County EMS, Starflight (helicopter EMS), and the fire department arrived on scene and provided advanced life support. Operator was pronounced dead at 12:36 by MD and transported to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office. Daughter was transported to the hospital for evaluation and care of possible hypothermia. 

No indication on how or why the vessel capsized was discovered. Case report, photos, CAD notes, and supplements were provided by Investigator. Autopsy was completed by the Travis County Medical Examiner. Cause of death determination is currently pending. 
 
Additional information for the case and investigation are available upon request by TCSO and TPWD. 


BARDID: TX-2023-0186
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-11-26 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0128 CADDO
NearestCityTown: Karnack
County: 102 HARRISON
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
ON 11/26/23, subject on patrol in Harrison county, Tx, received a call from the Harrison County Sheriff's Office regarding a sinking boat. At first, the complainant said his boat was stolen from the Dallas Caddo Club in Uncertain, Tx. He later called back and said the boat sank. 

subject said he thought the vessel was stolen because he saw some other boats close to the boat house. Subject then went to look at his boat to check on it and did not see it. Upon further inspection, he noticed it was sunken in the boat slip. Subject realized he did not put the plug in the boat. 


BARDID: TX-2023-0187
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-02-15 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:29:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 8230 LOWER LAGUNA MADRE
NearestCityTown: Laguna Vista
County: 031 CAMERON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
USCG Report states 3 bodies in the water hanging onto an overturned vessel. USCG recovered 3 individuals from the water.

No individuals were injured and released to family in good health.


BARDID: TX-2023-0188
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0152 CEDAR CREEK (LAKE)
NearestCityTown: GUN BARREL CITY
County: 107 HENDERSON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
***Review Note*** The information below is from the news reports. Game Wardens were not notified of this incident and only learned of it through a request from BARD for a report. Attempts were made to gather more information from local agencies involved. What little info that could be found was obtained through local EMS, but very limited. 

According to a news article, a person was injured after jumping out of the boat into shallow water (due to the drought).


BARDID: TX-2023-0189
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-02-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1991 G OF MEX OFF GALV-FRPT >
NearestCityTown: Freeport
County: 020 BRAZORIA
WaterConditions: Unknown
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator operated the vessel to a rig in the Gulf of Mexico where he and his passengers commenced fishing.  While they were fishing and the boat began to take on water due to a mechanical failure.  A life raft was deployed from the vessel and United State Coast Guard was contacted.  Operator and passengers were rescued by USCG personnel and returned to dock. No injuries reported, vessel sunk in the Gulf, not recovered, for a total loss.


BARDID: TX-2023-0190
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-12-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:26:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0061 BELTON (BELL CO)
NearestCityTown: TEMPLE
County: 014 BELL
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 12-30-23, at approximately 1526 hours, I Game Warden was contacted by Bell County dispatch advising that there was a report of an accident on Lake Belton, near Cedar Ridge Park, involving one vessel.  Dispatch further advised that a male on the vessel was bloody around his nose a face.  Dispatch also advised a deputy was enroute to the scene.  I checked enroute to the location. 

I arrived on scene at approximately 1545 hours.  Upon arrival I observed a white Skeeter bass boat operating back to the Cedar Ridge boat ramp and the bow remained up in the air, not getting on plane. The vessel appeared to be damaged.  I made contacted with a white male who was bloody from his nose and mouth.  

I asked Operator1 what had happened.  Operator1 stated that he was in a fishing tournament and was coming back to the Cedar Ridge boat ramp for weigh in at 1500 hours.  Operator1 stated as he was making the hair pin turn to his left, coming around the point, from the main lake, and he was on his chines (on plane).  Operator1 stated his boat began to skid across the water.  Operator1 stated that his boat chines caught the water and slung his boat straight into a rock wall on the shoreline.  The vessel was wedged underneath an extremely large boulder.  Operator1 stated that the impact threw him forward into his steering wheel causing damage to his nose and face. 

I observed that while talking with Operator1 he was wearing his life jacket, his thoughts were fluid, and he was aware of his surroundings.  I detected no odor of alcohol, signs of drug use, or any type of impairment. I explained to Operator1 that I had EMS enroute to our location to assess his condition.  Once EMS arrived on scene Operator1 refused treatment.

I processed the vessel taking pictures of the exterior and interior of the vessel.  I ran the vessel and Operator1 through Austin Communications.  Communications emailed all requested documentation to me.    

Operator1 was asked to produce his certificate of number which showed the vessel in his name.  Operator1 also produced his valid fishing license.

I asked several of the fisherman assisting Operator1 if they observed the crash.  All advised no one had seen the accident occur.  They all pulled up shortly after it occurred and assisted Operator1 in getting his boat free from underneath the large boulder.  Warden located one individual who had taken pictures at the crash scene and a short video.  Warden requested all the videos and photos be text to his work phone.  The individual complied with the request.

Prior to clearing the scene I obtained photos of Operator1s injuries to his face and photos of his vehicle used to transport his damaged vessel.


NFI


BARDID: TX-2023-0191
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-12-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 6130 CORPUS CHRISTI BAY
NearestCityTown: Corpus Christi
County: 178 NUECES
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Falls overboard
RedactedNarrative:
On or about the 20th of December 2023. I, State Game Warden, received a phone call from Operator regarding a boat accident that had occurred on December 13 2023. I made location at the Corpus Christi, Downtown Marina off Cooper's Alley and spoke with Operator. When I asked Operator to tell me what happened, Operator said they were out sailing during the Wednesday night regatta. 

From my understanding this event is a sailboat race. Operator advised me that it was dark, and they were sailing towards the marker (marker that was struck by Operators sailboat). The coordinates of the marker are as followed, (N 27 degrees 47'24.7'',W 097degrees22'41.7''). Operator told me they had the marker on their chart plotter. He said they were going to go to the marker, round it and head to another.  

Operator said they approached the marker on their Port side, and they left approximately 20-30 ft between them and the marker that was struck as they rounded the marker.  Operator proceeded to say they did make a sharp turn around the marker, but they had overturned and headed back towards the marker. 

He advised me that he did not realize because it was dark and he was looking out towards Ingleside, TX. From my understanding, that is the direction he wanted to sail too next. He advised me that his sails were not catching the wind properly and instead of sailing they were now drifting. Operator told me that one of his lazy jack lines caught the ladder that was located on the marker and that stopped them completely. 

Operator was explaining that Occupant was standing approximately in the middle of the sailboat, on the starboard edge of the vessel and he was going to try and cut the line that was stuck on the ladder of the marker. Operator said that the line had broken. When it did, the boat heaved and threw Occupant against the top lifeline of the sailboat. 

He advised me that the top lifeline came loose, and from the way Operator described it, Occupant went over the side of the boat, but never disconnected from the boat. He advised me the Occupant was possibly holding on to the second lifeline and that the three other crew members came and lifted Occupant back onto the boat. 

Operator said that Occupant at that time had some swelling and he gestured towards his right shoulder area of the arm. Operator said they didn't know what level of injury was sustained so they put some ice packs on it, came back in and Occupant's wife took him to the emergency room. He said they X-Rayed it, and they came back negative. From my understanding this meant that Occupants arm was not broken. Operator proceeded to tell me that Occupant went to his doctor and from my understanding of the conversation, Occupant had sustained an injury to his rotator cuff. Operator advised me that he heard about this information on Tuesday. From my understanding this would have been December 19th 2023.

After speaking with Operator on what happened, I gathered the boat information and his information. Operator advised me that everyone was wearing their PFDs at the time of the accident. I proceeded to conduct a water safety inspection on the sailboat. I asked Operator if he can provide me with the passenger names and number who were on the vessel at the time of the incident so I can follow up with them. 

On December 27th 2023, I first spoke with victim’s wife who passed the phone to her husband Occupant. Occupant advised me of what happened. He explained to me that he had gone to the ER when they came in and they told him that his arm was not broken. He also advised me that he had an MRI done on the 26th of December 2023 and they told him he had some tears in his rotator cuff and that he is looking at surgery for it. He told me his right arm was the arm that was injured. 


BARDID: TX-2023-0192
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-11-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 01:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 1990 G OF MEX OFF GALV-FRPT <
NearestCityTown: Galveston
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On November 5, 2023, at approximately 01:30 AM, US Coast Guard was notified of a single vessel, a 27-foot pleasure craft, that was stranded and had run aground on the Galveston North Jetty. 

There were two occupants on board during the crash, neither of them wore a PFD. Both occupants received medical treatment beyond first aid and were transported to a nearby hospital. It was reported by the individuals on board that the vessel was traveling back to home port and the Garmin (electronic unit) was not updating due to a loss of satellite signal. The operator mistakenly believed they were in open water when they struck the (Galveston North) Jetty.


BARDID: TX-2023-0193
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-05-21 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 03:00:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 3360 MATAGORDA BAY
NearestCityTown: Matagorda
County: 158 MATAGORDA
WaterConditions: Unknown
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Equipment failure
EquipmentFailure: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Capsizing
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was in the boat with his wife, son and son-in-law. They heard a loud pop and the boat then started taking water and flipped; stated no injuries to anyone on board the boat; states he no longer has the boat, but the insurance is still being charged; did not have the information with him as to the TX numbers for the boat; was at work/ids.

Vessel has been turned over to the insurance company as a total loss. He stated he had been fishing 30 miles offshore overnight. That morning they began to head back, and he noticed the vessel had been taking on water. He was able to call the Coast Guard while making his way towards an oil rig in the distance. No one was injured or died. 


BARDID: TX-2023-0195
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-26 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:30:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2180 GALVESTON BAY
NearestCityTown: Kemah
County: 036 CHAMBERS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
AccidentEvent2: Grounding
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel was found washed up on shore unoccupied. The operator was later found in water deceased. Unknown cause.


BARDID: TX-2023-0196
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-12-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:28:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2180 GALVESTON BAY
NearestCityTown: Texas City
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
This boat accident occurred on December 29, 2023, at approximately 4:28 pm near the 4000 block of Dike Road in Texas City, TX in Galveston Bay involving two people. The father and son were recreationally sailing their Nacra F18 sailboat when the boat capsized due to oncoming waves, wind, and speed. Subject1 was wearing the only PFD on the vessel. After capsizing, Subject1 was able to return to the capsized boat while Subject2 was unable to swim back to the vessel and drifted with the current. 

Texas City Police Department responded to the call from Subject1 that their vessel had capsized and his father, Subject2, was last seen conscious with a red wet suit on drifting away from their vessel. At approximately 5:10 pm, the fire and rescue team were able to recover Subject1 from the vessel. Coast Guard, Texas City VFD, and multiple concerned citizens continued to search for Subject2 and were unable to locate him. 

On December 30,2023, at approximately 12:11 pm, a passenger along one of the Galveston County Ferry boats spotted an individual in the water. Subject2 was recovered by Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department Marine Division and transported to the Coast Guard station on Galveston Island. 

Texas City Police Department conducted the investigations and further details can be found in their case reports (Case # 23-008435).


BARDID: TX-2023-0198
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:40:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 2180 GALVESTON BAY
NearestCityTown: Galveston
County: 084 GALVESTON
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Collision with commercial vessel
AccidentEvent2: Capsizing
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
I, Texas Game Warden, was not notified of this vessel crash when it occurred on July 4th, 2023, at approximately 9:40PM and I did not respond to the scene. This report is based on the five individuals involved that were on board the vessel the night of the crash. I was able to make contact with each of the five occupants by telephone.

According to statements obtained from the vessel occupants, the general consensus was that after the occupants were done watching fireworks that night, the vessel departed the Texas City Dike area and was traveling west, in the intra-coastal waterway, toward the diversionary canal located in Hitchcock, Tx where they had launched the boat earlier that day. 

The location of crash was just east of the I45 causeway bridge near Galveston, Tx. The vessel struck an east bound commercial tow barge which the operator stated he did not see until the last second. The operator attempted to make an evasive turn to his starboard side but was too late and struck the barge on the vessel's port bow area which resulted in the vessel capsizing. 

The vessels center console was subsequently ripped off. All five occupants were ejected from the vessel into the water. The commercial tow barge recovered all five vessel occupants out of the water. US Coast Guard sector Houston/ Galveston was notified and evacuated two of the occupants by helicopter and taken to UTMB hospital in Galveston, Tx. The remaining three occupants were transported to USCG station Galveston, then transported to UTMB hospital for medical attention. The use of alcohol on board the vessel prior to collision was reported by each individual, except the operator. However, 2 of the passengers on board stated that the operator had been consuming alcohol prior to the crash. PFDs were not worn and not used by any of the occupants.


BARDID: TX-2023-0200
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-01 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 05:53:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: 0582 JOE POOL
NearestCityTown: GRAND PRAIRIE
County: 057 DALLAS
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (non-fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
On July 7, 2023 at about 0553 hours Grand Prairie Police Department and Grand Prairie Fire Department responded to a fire call at 5800 Lake Ridge Pkwy, Lynn Creek Marina. The fire was located on dock G which burned part of the dock, 4 boats, and 1 wave runner. After the fire was extinguished it was determined by GPFD the fire started in the battery compartment on a boat. The battery in the boat was plugged into a battery tender at the time of the fire.


BARDID: TX-2023-1000
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-01-28 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 04:40:00
State: TX
NameOfBodyOfWater: Gulf
NearestCityTown: Port O CoPinner
County: Calhoun
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Inadequate on-board navigation lights
AccidentCause3: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Collision with commercial vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On January 27th, 2023 a collision between a commercial barge and recreational fishing vessel occurred in the Port O’ Connor area on the ICW. Responding agencies to this event included the United States Coast Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. Two persons were known to be on the recreational vessel involved in the accident. They were traveling to assist another boat that had run out of gas. Operator1 was at fault for alcohol use (.17 BAC), inadequate navigation lights, and excessive speed.  In addition, no one on V2 was wearing a life jacket. One person was seriously injured and medevaced to a local hospital for care and the second person is still missing.
TPWD has been working closely with Coast Guard personnel on the incident.


BARDID: UT-2023-0001
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-28 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:05:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Quail Creek Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Hurricane
County: Washington
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:
Dispatched to vessel fire at Quail Creek State Park. 

NARRATIVE:
Friday, April 28, 2023, at 1705 hours, I, Ranger was dispatched to a vessel fire at Quail Creek Reservoir.  Dispatched informed me that the vessel was on the reservoir and started to smoke and passenger could see flames coming from the engine compartment.  

The passengers used the fire extinguisher on the boat and was able to put it out but the boat would not restart and they were stranded in the middle of the lake.  I went out onto the reservoir in the patrol boat and located a green boat that had multiple females on it and they were waving their arms at me.  

I made contact with the passengers on board and asked if everyone was safe and if the flames was completely out.  The owner stated that everyone was safe and the fire was out but they needed a tow to get back to the main boat ramp.  I informed dispatch that the fire was out and everyone was safe but to still have the fire department respond.  

I towed the vessel back to the north dock and met fire department personnel on the dock.  Fire personnel were able to get inside the boat and ensure there were no other potential fire hazards.  Once the boat was back onto its trailer, I spoke with SUBJECT1 and performed a vessel safety equipment inspection and gathered information for my report.  SUBJECT1 explained to me that she had just received the boat back for Germaine Marine from being dewinterized and for having it looked over for a potential auto bilge leak.  

I had SUBJECT1 explain what she was doing when the fire started.  She stated that she was operating at a lower speed and subject2 was behind the boat surfing.  About 10-15 minutes of surfing behind the boat, SUBJECT2 noticed the fire and started yelling to her friends to look at the smoke coming from the engine compartment.  SUBJECT1 stated while she was operating the boat, she noticed the boat loose power, an alert came on, she turned the boat off and used the boat's fire extinguisher to put out the orange flames.  

SUBJECT1 stated that she took a photo of the alert and showed it to me.  The alert stated, "Exhaust Manifold Water Temperature 2 higher then expected {State 1}).  SUBJECT1 stated that the fire extinguisher on the boat was the fire extinguisher used to put out the flames.  As SUBJECT1 was prepping her boat to leave, I took photos of the boat, gave her my business card and the incident's case number.

EOR


BARDID: UT-2023-0002
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:18:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Sand Hollow Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Hurricane
County: Washington
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentCause3: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
Narrative: 

At 19:18 on Sunday June 4th, I received a call from dispatch of a sinking vessel in the middle of Sand Hollow reservoir. They reported their boat had taken on water and was slowly sinking. They reported nine passengers, all wearing life jackets. The conditions at that moment were strong winds coming out of the South and blowing North. I finished up with the kayak rescue I was on and headed out towards the center of the lake. 

After about a minute I could see the group half sunk. I pulled up close and I was able to see the Glastron leisure boat was full of water up to the gunwales. I counted the occupants and there were only seven. I asked if there were more people with them and the group replied that there were not. I started to load up the group one by one into my boat and position them out of the way. 

At one point, my boat was rocked by the water, knocking Subject1 back as she was attempting to get in. She fell and landed on her back side. After loading up the group, I noticed two people who were missing PFD's. I thought I could see some blown away from the boat. I operated towards them to discover the blue objects were actually seat cushions. I was able to hook a gas container which had drifted away from the boat and pull it on board. 

I asked for the owner of the boat to came forward. He said the boat was registered to him but that he had no insurance. I transported the group to South Beach where the rest of their group was waiting for them. Dispatch had sent medical, who was arriving at this time. I collected everyones information as they jumped off the boat and into the waist high water. The paramedics met them in their car. Subject told me afterwards that his group refused medical attention and that none of them were actually seen. 

After dropping off the group, I went back to the boat and found it still at the top of the water and drifting to the North. I proceeded to the North boat ramp and grabbed four search and rescue personnel. We went back out again and found the boat with the same amount of water in it. One of the Search and Rescue personnel jumped into the water and was able to hook a tow rope onto the bow eye of the Glastron. After coming back on board we started to tow the Glastron to the North ramp. 

I called SUBJECT2 to notify him. He said they would head to the ramp. As we drove, the Glastron self bailed the majority of the water that had been inside. Once at the dock, SUBJECT2' friend backed in the trailer and Search and Rescue personnel were able to drag the boat on. They surrounded the boat with booms to absorb the leaking gas and fluid before pulling out the boat. We then instructed the driver to slowly pull up, allowing the boat to drain but still catching the spillage. 

I asked SUBJECT2 if he had been driving when the boat took on water. He told me it had been subject3. I then asked SUBJECT3 and he told me it had been SUBJECT2. I asked SUBJECT2 again and he admitted it had been him. Wondering why he had been untruthful, Ranger and myself began to question SUBJECT2 more about the open containers in his boat. We ran his info and found that he was alcohol restricted. I asked him to blow into a PBT and he showed positive for alcohol. I placed him in handcuffs, helped him into the cage in Ranger truck and he placed SUBJECT2 under arrest. I had the driver who had pulled the boat out, unhook the trailer. Ranger then transported SUBJECT2 to the Washington County Jail and Ranger processed the vessel impound. 

SUBJECT2 reported a few days after how they initially came to be in their situation. They had been out driving around when the weather quickly shifted to stormy. They were headed North when SUBJECT2 decided they needed to head back. The wind and the waves were stronger then he realized and the boat started taking on water. It couldn't bail the water fast enough and started to sink. After a few moments, the engine was under water and cut out. That's when they called emergency services and I was dispatched.


BARDID: UT-2023-0003
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-06-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:10:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Yuba Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Scipio
County: Juab
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
Approximately 1630 hours Vessel #1 was underway and struck a submerged rock on Yuba Reservoir, the PWC operator said it happened quick.  A thunder storm came up and it was raining when it was reported, the water was choppy.  The reservoir is approximately 20-30 % full.  Upon inspection of the scene, it was observed that the PWC sustained visible damage to its starboard side and hull.  The collision with the rock had caused a substantial breach in the hull, allowing water ingress.   The watercrafts's engine was also exposed to water, resulting in the inability to start the PWC after the incident and the wind had pushed them to the Sandy Beach.  No injury was reported.


BARDID: UT-2023-0004
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:13:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Bear Lake
NearestCityTown: Laketown
County: Rich
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On June 3, 2023, vessel 1 was operating about a mile off the shore of Rendezvous Beach. While turning, vessel 1 capsized. All three passengers fell off the vessel. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to right the vessel, family on shore was contacted. 

Rescue:

I responded to the Rendezvous Rentals shop area. The rental shop already had a PWC getting ready to go out to Vessel 1. I hopped on a pontoon boat and headed to Vessel 1 with the rental shop manager. We got to Vessel 1 and pulled all three victims out of the water. After assessing them, I asked for an ambulance to come check them out. We took them back to the beach. I had the victims sit in and by my truck until the ambulance arrived on scene. 

Victim Conditions:

Subject1 had a body temp of 94.5 degrees. Subject2 had a body temp of 96.7 degrees. Subject3 had a body temp of 87.5 degrees. All three were able to warm up and return to normal body temp in the ambulance. All three were released on scene.


BARDID: UT-2023-0005
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-07 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:17:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1, a PRODUITS NAUTIQUES ALCAN G25, struck a submerged rock in Warm Creek Bay. OPERATOR1 was operating the vessel during the time of the accident. He suffered no injuries and was not wearing a lifejacket at the time of the incident. In interviewing OPERATOR1 of the incident, he mentioned he was going under 5mph or at a wakeless speed in an eastern direction.  He told me that he had been approached by two wave runners who pointed out a boat that needed "some help".  The wave runners were not with the boat in need of help and offered no other information.  

While OPERATOR1 was driving east toward the boat needing help, his boat struck a group of rocks that were approximately two feet under the surface of the water.  He found that the boat didn't respond to any steering input so he could not maneuver in any direction.  His engine would still run but he didn't attempt further to operate the boat.  He had a friend who was also boating in Warm Creek Bay and called him for help.  That friend was able to attach a tow line and take OPERATOR1 through the Castle Rock Cut to the Wahweap Ramp where he trailered his boat and was able to see the damage.  

Three of his four propeller blades were severely bent back and his rudder had snapped off right at the mounting plate.  There was also a 4" long scrape that side to side of the beam and was almost in line with the propeller blade.  No other damage was observable.


BARDID: UT-2023-0006
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-05-14 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Green River
NearestCityTown: Green River
County: Emery
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: Y
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Hazardous waters
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel operator claimed he launched the vessel from the Green River State Park boat ramp, started floating with the current downstream, and couldn't get the motor to start. 300 yards downstream from the ramp, on the right (west) side of the river, the vessel struck an old road support structure. 

The structure was submerged and had mature trees stuck on it. Vessel was pinned by the current onto the trees and structure, water began coming into the boat from the upstream side of the vessel. Vessel completely filled with water, with only a small section of the bow, and to cowling of the motor above water. Vessel was approximately 30 feet from the river bank.


BARDID: UT-2023-0007
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Starvation Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Duchesne
County: Duchesne
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On Saturday July 22, 2023 around 1745 hours I Ranger observed from the boat ramp four jets skis just passed the no wake buoy's at Starvation State Park. The four jet skis were being operated recklessly, jumping each others wakes and doing circles around trying to spray water on each other. 

The jet ski looked similar to the ones that the rental company AMP Club Recreation rents at the park. The manager of the rental company confirmed that she had four jet skis rented out and that they should back at 1800 hours. 

I elected to wait for them to return their jets skis at the rental company because it was already 1800 hours. Around 1805 hours the four jets skis made their way back to the rental companies staging area. I could see that one of the jet skis had damage to the bow. 

When they got to shore the manager of the rental company found that another jet ski had damage to the hull on the port side just below the bow numbers.

According to both operators they were driving in circles and were too close to each other and they ran into each other. Based off the damages to the jet skis I conclude that both jet ski were under power at the time of the accident. It appears Operator2 was either hit by Operator1 with a glancing blow to the bow or that Operator2 hit Operator1 with his bow. I am unable to determine who made first contact. Both operators were cited for failure to obey Speed and proximity and failure to maintain a proper lookout. Both operators were at fault. 



End of report


BARDID: UT-2023-0010
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:35:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Willard Bay
NearestCityTown: Willard
County: Box Elder
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
I was called from the USCGA regarding a female at the courtesy dock that was injured while tubing.  I informed dispatch of the medical and responded.  When I arrived I found VICTIM laying on the back area of the vessel with a towel over her face.  I took it off to find a large contusion on her left eye swelling it shut and a laceration.  Bleeding was controlled.  VICTIM was conscious alert and said she didn't think she lost consciousness.  VICTIM also complained about left shoulder pain.  It appeared slightly larger than the right but no obvious deformity.  VICTIM was at the point of almost hyperventilating.  Ranger arrived and helped administer Oxygen while we waited for medical to respond.  When medical responded they recommended transporting her but VICTIM refused and wanted to self transport.

VICTIM was being pulled on a tube with SUBJECT1 and hit some wakes causing them to fall off.  VICTIM didn't remember hitting anything other than the water and that her arm seemed to bend funny.  Passengers on the vessel didn't think it looked like an especially hard fall and didn't realize anything was wrong until they went to get VICTIM.  The operator said that they had went over the wakes of another boat but didn't indicate that it was too close or out of the ordinary in any way.  SUBJECT1 had no complaints of injury and transported VICTIM to the hospital to get checked out.


BARDID: UT-2023-0011
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-06-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 08:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Starvation Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Duchesne
County: Duchesne
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentCause3: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
Accident report:

Based on witness statements, the damage to both vessels and damage to the pillar I believe that vessel #1 and vessel #2 were traveling North East at Starvation reservoir after just leaving the Lake View RV's water access area. Vessel #1 was traveling parallel to vessel #2 as they approached the pillars that support the Highway 40 bridge in the reservoir. 

Vessel #1 was ahead of vessel #2 but was still parallel. After passing the pillar, the left vessel #1 hooked hard to the left without adequately looking and found himself head on with vessel #2. Vessel #1's bow collided with vessel #2's bow with initial contact. Vessel #1 was redirected by vessel #2 towards the 3rd pillar from the east. 

Vessel #1 then collided with the pillar making first contact at the passenger side bow. The estimated speed of vessel #1 at time of impact was 20 miles per hour. The estimated speed of vessel #2 was 30 miles per hour at time of impact. 

Synopsis:
On Saturday June 24, 2023 roughly between 19;30 hours and 20:30 hours two boats collided head on at Starvation State Park Reservoir near the Freedom Bridge Highway 40 overpass. Operator1 was the operator of a 1989 Mirage and made a hard hook turn to his left and found himself head on with the operator of a 2005 Cobalt. The two boats collide at their bows, the force of the collision sent Operator1 and his boat in to the pillar supporting the Highway 40 bridge. Operator1 received a laceration to his upper left arm. Operator1 was taken to the Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt Ut. He received multiple stitches to repair muscle and skin. The accident was not reported until roughly 02:00 hours the next day June 25.

Narrative:
On Sunday morning roughly 00:30 hours June 25 Ranger and Myself Ranger were notified by Vernal dispatch of a boat accident that happened at Starvation near the bridge earlier in the day. An anonymous caller who reported the accident stated the people involved the accident were camping somewhere near the Lake. 

Ranger searched for the boats and camps with the patrol boat while I searched on land in my patrol vehicle. Searched for the boats for nearly 2 hours when we received information from dispatch "roughly around 02:00 " that the party involved in the accident called to report the accident. Dispatch informed me they were staying at Lake Side RV CamperWorld.    

I located the individuals that were involved in the accident roughly around 02:30 hours. Operator1 and Operator2 who were the drivers of the 2 boats that collided met me at the campsite. I took both Operator2 and Operator1s witness statements. Initially when I asked them if they had been drinking they told me that they had not any alcoholic beverages. However after further questioning they both admitted to having an alcoholic beverage beer at lunch. I asked them where there boats were located and they told be that they were anchored to the shore done by the CamperWorld access to the reservoir. I found both boats anchored to the shore behind some trees and they were not visible from the road. I took some pictures verified that they were boats involved. Ranger found where the boat Operator1 was driving crashed in the bridge pillar. After taking pictures of the boats I went back the campsite and told Operator1 and Operator2 that I would came back later in the morning and tow their boats to boat ramp on the other side of the lake and continue the investigation.

Later that morning roughly 10:00 hours I met both Operator1 and Operator2 at their boats to tow them to the boat ramp. Operator2's Boat was still operable and he drove his boat to the ramp. I towed Operator1's boat to the ramp. Once we got both boats off the water I took systematic pictures and concluded that both operators were at fault and cited both of them for failure to maintain proper lookout and Speed and Proximity. I also charged them with not immediately reporting the accident. I also believed that Operator1 was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. I submitted an E-Warrant for Operator1s blood that was taken at the hospital. In the Probable Cause Statement in the E-Warrant I explained to the judge that the accident was not reported until 6 hours after the accident had happened and that he had admitted to drinking. I also explained that it was a boat accident involving serious injury. The Warrant was rejected without reason. I contacted a Duchesne County attorney and was told that the particular 8th district judge was known for rejecting E-Warrants without cause. I was unable to get the blood for testing. The passenger of Vessel #1 was identified later in the morning and because he was the son of Operator2 I was confused as to what vessel he was a passenger of. I confirmed later in the investigation that he was a passenger of Operator1's vessel. He sustained no injuries and was seated portside facing toward the stern at the time of the accident.


BARDID: UT-2023-0012
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:15:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Bear Lake
NearestCityTown: Garden City
County: Rich
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Restricted vision
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:
Responded to a medical call for a 12 year old boy who injured his foot in a boating accident.

NARRATIVE:
Rich DISPATCH put out a medical call for a 12 year old boy who injured his foot in a boating accident @ 17:27 hours.  The original call came into DISPATCH @ 17:20 hours.

I responded from my office at the marina and arrived @ 17:30 hours.  I arrived just after the ambulance, 2E502.  I assisted with getting Victim onto the gurney and into the ambulance.

In the ambulance I was able to converse with Victim and was able to obtain his verbal story of what he did and how he was injured.  I also obtained his name and date of birth.  When an EMT asked him his pain on a scale of 1 to 10, he said 5.  It was obvious that both feet had been cut by the propeller of the boat.

I left the ambulance and obtained further information from Victim's parents.  They were not on the boat when the accident occurred.

I went do towards the beach/lake and continued to ask questions regarding the boat and who was on the boat and with Victim at the time of the accident.  Over a period of time, I was able to gather information.

From my verbal interviews:
Operator was operating the boat in a relatively close, visible, proximity to where the other family members were staying for a family reunion near the shore.  I was told that all people on board the boat were wearing PFDs.

OPERATOR stopped the boat and put it into neutral so the three boys could jump into the water and swim.   With the slight breeze, the boat started to drift quickly away from the three boys in the water.  Operator said he saw and heard the boys start to panic.  He said the water was cold.  He said he began to panic too.  OPERATOR said he put the boat into reverse to maneuver the boat closer to the boys to be able to pick them up.  He said it was difficult for him to see how close the boat was to the boys in the water

According to one of the swimmers, as the boat approached the three boys and they began to swim hurriedly towards the boat.  SWIMMER1 was the first to grab the swim deck, port side, and tried to lift himself up to unhook the latch holding the ladder up.  At near the same time, VICTIM grabbed the center part of the swim deck and began to try to lift himself up when he started to scream because his feet had been hit by the turning propeller.  SWIMMER3 was not yet to the swim deck.

Operator said when he heard the scream that he put the boat into neutral.  VICTIM said he was not aware that the propeller was still turning when he approached the swim deck.  OPERATOR was trying to keep himself and the other young juveniles on the boat to be calm as well.  They yelled for another member of the family to call 911 and to come and pick up VICTIM and take him to shore.  OPERATOR said he put a makeshift tourniquet on both thighs of VICTIM, using a ski rope.  Two other adults came out on a PWC.  One got off the PWC and onto the boat and the other brought VICTIM back to shore as other family members called 911.

On shore, family members took off the makeshift tourniquet and tightly wrapped each foot individually in "lava lava" fabric.

The report shows there was a total of 9 people on board the vessel slightly before the accident happened.  I obtained the identifying information from the operator and the three young teenage males who left the boat to swim and then tried to re-board the boat as the accident occurred.  I did not obtain the identifying information from the five other people on board the vessel - two were juvenile teenage females similar in age to the three teenage boys and the other three were young juveniles, who were all under the age of 10.  These five juveniles did not actually see the accident/injury happen.  They heard the screams and began to panic and get the operator into an even more panicky mode.

The boat was borrowed.


BARDID: UT-2023-0015
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:54:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Echo Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Coalville
County: Summit
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On Saturday July 22nd I was notified at the Echo boat dock of a male needing a splint or something to stabilize his knee because he had dislocated it while water skiing. 

The boat owner and operator pulled the boat out of the water while I grabbed a splint to use on his son. They pulled the boat out and by then the victim had popped his knee back into place and I helped stabilize it and get him off the boat and into his spouses care. They decided to self transport to Instacare in Ogden. NFD


BARDID: UT-2023-0016
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Synopsis:
On 7/22/2023 around 1700, a 24 year old male was swimming and struck by the propeller of the boat cutting the top of his foot with a laceration about 4inch long, 2inches wide and 1 to and 1.5in deep. Male was transported to the clinic where National Park Service preformed emergency medical care until the clinic staff arrived. Clinic staff attended aid to the male as best as they could to stop the bleeding. The male was transported via helicopter to grand junction. 

Narrative:
On 7/22/2023 around 1700, a v-drive boat was beaching at the beach at Hobbie Cat. A male jumped out of the boat to start swimming the boat was maneuvering to prepare for the anchor. The operator stated that as he was pulling into shore, he shut of the motor and dropped the anchor. He then heard VICTIM cut his foot. VICTIM stated he was trying to swim away from the boat and then felt his foot get hit the prop. 

A Passenger hopped out and ran toward the truck and took VICTIM to the clinic parking lot where myself and Ranger were briefing for the event of the day. SUBJECT1 approached us around 1713 and stated that he need medical attention. National Park Service Rangers (NPS) called in the clinic staff and began to work on the individual at the entrance to the clinic. NPS Rangers applied a tourniquet (TQ) around 1720 to control the bleeding. I started getting info from the driver of the vehicle that drove to the clinic. He stated that the boat was currently at the Hobie Cat Beach and was anchored. With NPS handling patient I made contact at Hobie Cat beach with the boat. I was able to have them go over to the main dock where I could start my investigation of the boat accident. 

OPERATOR was the operator and docked at the main ramp. I gathered information on what took place and had OPERATOR fill out a witness statement on what happened. The statement stated " Pulled into shore got close and turned around, shut the motor off, dropped anchor and heard one of my passengers jumped in and cut his foot." The other passengers on the boat stated the same statement when asked. I did not see any open containers and OPERATOR showed no signs of impairment. They had everything they needed safety wise and everything was current. I explained what the next step were for them and their friend. I returned back to the clinic to help coordinate classic air.

After Medical staff arrived at the clinic they attempted to stop the bleeding, into giving aid they requested to call in classic air. I notified Dispatch around 20:30 that air medical was requested and to have them land at the clinic LZ. 

Medical aid:
I didn't give any medical aid to VICTIM ,but talked to the individual about the incident and he stated that it was his fault and should have just waited. He said he just remembered the boat turning and then his pain in his foot. National Park Service and the clinic handled the medical aid, until Air Med/ Classic arrived at 21:27 and took off for Grand Junction about 30 mins later.

NOTE: Waiting on Insurance Card to be sent from OPERATOR. Due to limited service it might take till individual gets home. Will add to report at later time once received. 

END OF REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0017
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:49:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Willard Bay
NearestCityTown: Willard
County: Box Elder
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS: Wake boarder suffered a possible femur fracture to his leg while being towed. 


NARRATIVE:

On July 24th, 2023 at approximately 15:45 I received a call from a park employee that a boat just came into the north marina boat ramp that a had a passenger with a possible broken leg. I informed dispatched to get medical rolling to the north marina boat ramp for the broken leg. When I arrived a volunteer was helping the boat owner walk the boat up the dock and helped secure it to the dock. The injured passenger was laying on the back seat of the boat and looked like he was losing the color in his face and his left leg in the thigh area looked slightly deformed. I notified dispatch of the possible femur injury. 

Ranger arrived and brought oxygen down the dock to me. I then turned on the oxygen and attached the mask and gave VICTIM 8 lpm of oxygen till medical arrived. Ranger soon arrived and started taking information for the vessel safety inspection and helping with the boat. 

Once medical arrived we decided to load the boat up onto the trailer while the patient was still in the boat and then pull the boat on trailer up the ramp then transfer VICTIM onto a stretcher. Once on the trailer and up the ramp medical administered medication to VICTIM for the pain. VICTIM stated he never lost consciousness. They then unattached the back seat VICTIM was laying on and used it as a back board to transfer him safely out of the boat and to the stretcher. 

I talked to the boat owner and the operator and she stated VICTIM is new to wakeboarding and when the injury occurred she was operating and he was in tow. He was trying to get up on the wakeboard while OPERATOR began to tow. OPERATOR said she was going less than 10 mph to help VICTIM get to standing position but VICTIM got up for a sec and fell forward then stated he was injured. OPERATOR stated they had been on the water since just after 12pm.  

 There was an empty beer can in the back passenger area and some unopened beer. VICTIM stated he had 3-4 beers while being on the water. The other passenger stated he had 2 beers while on the water. OPERATOR stated she had nothing to drink. She did not show any signs or indicators of alcohol impairment. I watched her eyes and saw no nystagmus or redness. I also did not smell any odor of alcoholic beverage on her breath or persons. 

Subject completed the vessel safety inspection and found no violations. 

VICTIM was taken by ambulance to Ogden Regional hospital and OPERATOR left in her vehicle to meet him there. 


END OF REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0019
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-06 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:15:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Page
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS
On August 6, 2023, a MALIBU RESPONSE was being towed by a SUMERSET Houseboat in the main channel of the Lake Powell near buoy #15. The MALIBU RESPONSE began to take on water and became completely submerged. Owners of the vessel were able to salvage the vessel by flipping it back over and bailing the water out.  

NARRATIVE
On August 6, 2023, I was patrolling Warm Creek Bay when a call came in for a vessel taking on water near buoy 15 on Lake Powell. At the time Glenn Canyon Dispatch advise me that no one was in the water and that the individuals were attempting recovery. 

I traveled to buoy 15 from Warm Creek Bay and arrive to see multiple individuals rendering aid to the vessel. I made contact with the group to determine what happen. 

I made contact with a male individual, later identified, the owner of VESSEL #2, a 2007 MALIBU RESPONSE. He explained that VESSEL #2 was being towed by a houseboat in the main channel when it began to take on water. He said that no one was aboard the MALIBU RESPONSE at the time of the incident. 

During this time multiple individuals on other water craft associated with VESSEL #2 made several attempts to flip VESSEL #2 over in order to begin getting water out of the vessel. 

While this was going on I made contact with the houseboat a 1997 SUMERSET, Vessel #1. I identified a male operator, and asked him what took place. Operator explained that he was heading north on the main channel towing VESSEL #2 when he was told VESSEL #2 had sunk. I asked Operator to fill out a witness statement. His statement is attached to this report 

I then returned to the group with the sunken vessel to check on the progress. After several attempts they were able to flip VESSEL #2 over and brought it shore. Once on shore the individuals began bailing out VESSEL 2 with buckets. At the time the bilge pump was working as I can see water was being pumped out. 

The individuals were able to float VESSEL #2 on their own and towed it back to the VESSEL #1. I collected the witness statement from the Operator. A business card was left. Due to the fact that insurance paperwork was on the boat during the time of the incident, I was unable to collect a copy will send me a copy of the insurance when they return from their trip. 

CONCLUSION 
In conclusion VESSEL #1 was towing VESSEL #2 in a portion of the main channel known to produce large waves due to heavy vessel traffic and how narrow the location is. VESSEL #1 traveling at high speeds during large wave activity along with a short tow line are factors in this incident. As noted VESSEL #1 is rental and typically operators have little experience, in compare to recreational vessels. 

-	End of Report


BARDID: UT-2023-0020
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:04:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Bear Lake
NearestCityTown: Garden City
County: Rich
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was attempting to pull up to a gas dock in the Bear Lake State Park Marina. Vessel 2 was docked at the Marina, south of the gas dock. While attempting to maneuver Vessel 1, the operator gave the vessel too much throttle, causing it to launch forward into the parked Vessel 2. The front rub rail of Vessel 1 crashed into the side panels and side rub rail of Vessel 2. No injuries were reported. 

The two other passengers on the boat had left the scene before I arrived, so I was unable to gather their information.


BARDID: UT-2023-0021
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jordanelle Reservoir
NearestCityTown: heber
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:

On June 30th at approximately 1200 hours I received a report of a vessel crash at the Personal Watercraft Ramp.

NARRATIVE:

On June 30th at approximately 1200 hours I received a report of a vessel crash at the Personal Watercraft Ramp. I called the reporting party and he stated that he and a friend had been fishing on the lake and saw a small vessel heading toward them. He stated that there were trolling and so were going about 1 mile an hour. He stated that they noticed that the vessel coming toward them was going approximately 10-15mph. He stated that  was not changing direction and wasn't slowing down. They stood up in their vessel and started yelling and waving their arms to get the drivers attention but they didn't see the driver look up. Initially Operator stated that he thought the driver was on his phone. It was later discovered that he was trying to fix the fuel line. Operator stated that there were three young children in the vessel. Operator stated that the boat never changed course and ran straight into the side of his boat. He stated that the gunwale bent to about 90 degrees and that it was the only thing that stopped the vessel from running over the top of his boat. He stated that no one was hurt and that he and the driver exchanged information. 

When I asked Operator 1 about the damage to his boat he sent me several pictures and stated that "There is a pretty good dent, some paint damage and molding damage. The down rigger mast appears to be bent." He also stated that he suspects that there is some structural damage/stress fractures where the gunwale welds to the side. He is going to take it to the Crestliner dealer to assess damage.

I then went and talked to Park City Sailing. I contacted the supervisor for the day. He stated that no one was injured, that the children's parents had been contacted and that Operator 2 was shaken up but was unhurt. I asked how old he was and he told me that he was 15. I informed him that if you are under 16 and have your boaters permit you still need to be under the supervision of an adult while driving a boat. I asked Operator 2 what had happened and he stated that he had been messing with the fuel line while driving the vessel and hadn't been aware of his surroundings. Parent was out on the lake at the time and so I did not get a chance to talk to him. 

I asked Operator 2 about the damage to the vessel and he stated that it was most likely totaled. I waited until they pulled the damaged vessel and took several photos of it. The front end was heavily damaged and the gunwale was torn off the bow of the boat.

I gathered all the applicable information and left the scene shortly after.


THE END


BARDID: UT-2023-0022
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-10 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jordanelle Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber City
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:

On 10 July 2023 at approximately 1730, I was called to a medical on the Jordanelle Rental Dock where a 9 year old boy had sustained a back injury. He was transported to Park City Hospital.

NARRATIVE:

On the above date and time, I responded to a medical on the Jordanelle Rental Dock where a 9 year old boy had sustained a back injury while tubing. The operator stated that he was going approximately 10 miles per hour when his son who was on the tube had fallen head first into that water, over the tube. Once they retrieved him, he complained of a back injury and refused to sit or lay down. They came into the dock and called 911.


TRANSPORT:

Victim was transported to Park City Hospital for further evaluation.


BARDID: UT-2023-0023
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 08:13:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Strawberry Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber City
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Restricted vision
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 2 was leaving the marina on plane headed South East. Vessel 1 was also leaving the marina on plane headed South West. Vessel 2 Operator was facing South West with his back to Vessel 1. 

Vessel 1 Operator did not see Vessel 2, due to size of boat and bimini obstructing view. Vessel 1 struck vessel 2 with the Port side pontoon on Vessel 2's Port side stern. Vessel 1 traveled over the stern of Vessel 2, damaging the vessel, the outboard motor, and hitting a trolling motor that sunk in the reservoir. Vessel 2 operator dove into the vessel to avoid being struck by Vessel 1 and sustained an abrasion to his left elbow. Vessel 2 operator reported he also lost a down rigger that was struck and sunk. Vessel 1 operator then towed Vessel 2 into the marina. Vessel 1 operator admitted fault for the accident and stated he did not see Vessel 2.


BARDID: UT-2023-0024
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:17:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Utah Lake
NearestCityTown: Saratoga Springs
County: Utah
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentCause2: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Collision with floating object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Capsizing
RedactedNarrative:
Synopsis:

Called out on a vessel that was disabled due to rope in prop near Saratoga Springs Marina.  Responded to park where others were on scene to assist.  SAR1 was called to a different call and SAR2 went with me.  Waves were in the 2-4' range with some larger 5-6' coming through.  We made contact with the vessel and threw them a rope and told them we would tow in nice and slow.  During the tow, the towed vessel took on water from the waves, and ultimately capsized.  All occupants were taken upon the rescue boat and transported to Saratoga Springs Marina.

Narrative:

On the evening on June 22, 2023 at 2031 hours I, RANGER, was called at home by dispatch and alerted to a vessel that had a rope stuck in its prop, and was requesting a tow to the Saratoga Springs Marina.  I geared up and headed towards my patrol vehicle  As I was getting in the vehicle, dispatch alerted me to another vessel that was in need of assistance near Lindon.  I advised dispatch that I would take care of the Saratoga Call first, and then the Lindon Call.  As I was driving on I-15 towards the park, I was alerted to another call at the lake.  This was for a vehicle in the water at Lincoln Beach.  Dispatch then alerted that it may just be a fisherman in the back of their vehicle and they had county units headed that way to check.  I asked them to keep me updated.  As I was getting off of the Provo Center Street Exit, officer, got on the radio saying he was near the Center Street exit, and would take care of the Saratoga Springs call.  I then alerted dispatch I would head to the Lindon call.  When I arrived at the Park a SAR member,  was waiting.  We went to the docks where the Park Rescue Vessel, and SAR vessel were docked.  SAR2 began to prep the SAR vessel, and I started the 27' rescue vessel, and began typing in GPS coordinates for the Lindon Call.  SAR1 arrived on scene, and was dispatched to a different SAR call.  It was decided the SAR2 would go out with me, and we would go to the Saratoga call first.  We left the docks at around 2100 hrs.  As we got to the mouth of the marina the lake had 2-4' waves with some as large as 5-6'.  We had to respond very slowly due to the wave action.  When we arrived on scene the vessel was about a mile south of the original GPS coordinates we had been given.  It was discussed between SAR2 and me wether to leave the vessel and take the occupants on board the Rescue boat, or to try and tow vessel in.  Due to the wave conditions we determined it would be safer to try to tow the vessel in rather than try to bring the Rescue boat alongside the disabled vessel to transport passengers, and possibly cause serious bodily injury should someone get caught between the two vessels.  A rope was tossed to the broken down vessel, and hooked to the bow eye.  All passengers were told to put on life jackets, and remain seated.  We told them that we were going to go nice and slow.  We began the tow around 2130 hours  During the tow we did not go over 11 RPM (just over an idle speed) on the Rescue vessel.  I was constantly looking out the back of the rescue vessel to check the progress, of the vessel in tow.  The vessel was being towed approximately 50-75 feet behind the Rescue vessel.    I could see the bow of the vessel dip into the waves, and saw water crash but was never given any signs of alarm from the occupants of the towed vessel.  As the tow continued we lost the light from the sun, but I could still see the lights of the vessel being towed.  As we neared the original GPS coordinates, the occupants on the towed vessel began to yell, and flash their lights.  We quickly shut  the motors down on the Rescue vessel.  The towed vessel had taken on a lot of water from the waves.  The occupants were bailing water and the bilge pump was pumping water out as well.  The towed vessel was taking on more water due to it sitting low in the water and there still being wave action.  It was taking on more than was being bailed and pumped.  We maneuvered the rescue vessel alongside the starboard side of the disabled vessel and quickly took on the 6 children that were on the disabled boat onto the Rescue boat.  SAR2 and I were desperately holding onto the disabled vessel to try and keep it close and steady as the vessel slowly began to roll to it's port side.  The vessel then went under and began to roll.  The two male adults on board were now in the water, and drifting away from our location.  This occurred around 2217 hours.  SAR2 alerted dispatch to the situation.  The tow rope was still connected to the bow eye of the capsized vessel, and had gone under the rescue vessel motors making it so we could not start our motors to get closer to the two individuals in the water.  I quickly used one of the pocket knives I carry to cut the rope, and free us from the capsized vessel.  We were then able to pull the rope onboard without getting it caught in our motors.  We were able to locate the two males in the water using the onboard spotlight, and shouting out to them in the water.  When we got along the side of them we shut off the motors of the rescue boat as we were trying to pull the individuals into the rescue boat near where the motors were. SAR2 was able to pull one of them onto the Rescue vessel.  I was holding onto the second male who said he was okay, and handed me some car keys.  He then began trying to gather some of the belongings floating in the water.  I told him that we were now there for life and not property.  He again told me he was fine.  He had one hand holding onto the rear motor guards of the Rescue vessel (motors off) and the other hand holding onto a tow behind water toy.  He kept trying to hand me the water toy.  I finally grabbed hold of it, and with great effort pulled it aboard.  As this was going on, the rescue boat drifted over the top of the submerged vessel and made contact with it.  We were notable to maneuver away as our motors were still off, and there was still one male sitting near on the motor guards, and we could not start the motors until he was safely in the rescue vessel.    The male, later identified, then looked as though he was going to attempt to let go of the rescue boat to try and gather more belongings.  I told him again we were there for life and not property, and not to let go of the boat.  We were then able to get him onto our vessel.  All individuals were wearing PFD.  As the vessel had capsized and sunk, the number of PFD and fire extinguishers on board was not accounted for.

Several of the kids were shivering and I directed them to go to the cabin in the front of the Rescue vessel and sit down.  I spoke with the other adult male who was identified.  He was trying to text people to let them know what was happening but the phones were shutting down on him.  I gave him my personal cell phone number to text to those he was trying to communicate with.  I asked Operator if he would like for us to have medical staged at the Saratoga Marina to make sure everyone was okay.  He declined.  I told him that they would not have to transport anyone, but could just make sure everyone was okay.  He again declined and said the boys had been able to get onto the Rescue vessel and had not been in the water, and that he thought when he could get on shore and walk around he would be okay.  One of the six kids on board began to get seasick, and we moved him into the cockpit of the Rescue vessel and opened some windows to get some air on him.  Operator then moved into the cabin.  I also went into the cabin to check on everyone.  I then spoke to him, and told him that I would get him the contact information for someone that might be able to help him recover his boat.  I also told him that I would need to gather some information for a report.  He asked what would happen after that.  I again told him that I could get him the contact info


BARDID: UT-2023-0025
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:59:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Willard Bay
NearestCityTown: Willard
County: Box Elder
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On July 22 2023 a vessel came into the North Marina at Willard Bay State Park, and reported they were tubing in the area of Freeway Bay. The operator and owner stated he was operating around 15MPH in a slow steady turn. When the tube with three persons onboard caught a wake from a long since passed vessel, causing them to thrown about. During the tossing, victim described her right shoulder hitting the chest of one of the other two passengers and immediately felt pain in her collar bone. All three of the passengers on the tube were wearing USCG approved type III life preservers.

She was examined by medical personnel on shore and was transported by personal vehicle to a local hospital. There was no damage to the vessel or any other reported injuries.

End of Report


BARDID: UT-2023-0026
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:03:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Willard Bay
NearestCityTown: Willard
County: Box Elder
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Hull failure
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
On July 22 2023, I responded to B-Dock boat slips at Willard Bay State Park on report of a sunken vessel that was tied up in slip. The vessel was secured with four dock lines, one at each corner, and the stern of the boat was submerged, with the bow still above the water. I made contact with the owner who advised the vessel had been in the water for a few weeks at this point. The owner responded, and secured the boat with additional lines until the next morning. When he was able to float the boat using a combination of lifting lines and float bags, and de-watered the boat and with assistance from the USCG Auxiliary towed, the vessel to the ramp and trailered the vessel.

It was found water had ingressed through a crack in the bellows on the stern drive motor. 

End of Report

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ranger


BARDID: UT-2023-0027
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:16:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jordanelle Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber City
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper loading
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:

On 18 July 2023 at approximately 1016, I responded to reports of a dislocated shoulder at the Rental Dock at Jordanelle.

NARRATIVE:

On the above date and time, I responded to reports of a dislocated shoulder at the Rental Dock at Jordanelle.
I made contact with Operator, who told me that she had been trying to get on a PWC  when she fell into the water and she thought she had hit something. Injured had an obvious deformity on her arm. I asked Injured if she was comfortable and she said she was. I told her that I was not going to move her and that medical would be there shortly to help her.

I stayed with her and her family and collected their information.

TRANSPORT:

Injured was splinted by medical and then was transported to Park City Hospital in a personal vehicle.


BARDID: UT-2023-0028
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
Synopsis:
Around 1900 at Lake Powell Near Moki Wall a boat was towing a tube with three individuals. When they hit some of the wakes on the tube one of the Females id as, Injured, was struck on the eyebrow by another individual id as, occupant's, life jackets buckle. The buckle sliced open the brow of Injured. They met myself (Ranger) at the Marina Offices where I transported/shuttled the individual and a parent to the clinic where they received care. 

Narrative: 
Around 1900 at Lake Powell Near Moki Wall a boat was towing a tube with three individuals. When they hit some of the wakes on the tube one of the Females id as, Injured, was struck on the eyebrow by another individual id as, occupant's, life jackets buckle. The buckle sliced open the brow. The Operator id stopped the vessel and then they were able to put a pressure bandage on the open wound. They later called 911 and were in route to Bullfrog Marina Main Office. I (Ranger) was notified of the call around 1945 and met the boat and the  and her parent. I ran them through Alert and Oriented Questions which she was A&Ox4. Stable and able for transport from myself with a family member to be shuttled to the clinic. Clinic staff as notified and were at the clinic and took over care. I gathered information from Injured and then head back to the boat at the Marina to follow up with the Boat Accident Report.  Both stories lined up and were the same. 

They both stated they were in the tube and hit a wake a speeds around 8-10 MPH.  Injured buckle or something from her side caused the injury and then applied the bandage. After they applied the head pressure gaze, they made the call to 911 and were than in route to the Marina dock. Around 2015 Going through the vessel inspection with Injured he was able to show me what they were wearing when it happened. He stated and showed me the patted helmets they were wearing on the tube and where the buckle could have grazed brow. They had all the safety equipment need and a temp tag due to it being a new boat. During interaction didnt see any signs of impairment and no alcoholic beverages onboard. 

Transportation back to the boat
After gathering all the information of the people and equipment on the boat I made it back to the Clinic where I was able to transport back to the vessel at the dock. Around 2100

Due to the accident being a mishap, no citation was given or warranted. 

NO PICTURES ADDED

TEMP TAG was current ,but waiting on getting assigned BOW #'s

END OF REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0031
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:45:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Echo Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Coalville
County: Summit
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On Sunday August 13th at approximately 1645 hours dispatch called over the radio that there was an unconscious child aboard a boat on Echo reservoir. I responded and saw the boat heading into the docks right next to the main ramp. 

When the boat arrived I immediately was told that nothing could be done for the boy and that he had passed away by a woman who had the child wrapped in a towel in her arms as she stepped off the boat.  the child's life jacket which was blue and yellow with orange straps. 

As I took her and the child to the back of my truck she lifted up the towel and I saw all of the child's bowels were out. she placed the child on the back tailgate on my truck and ran across the ramp to the mother of the child who had gotten off the boat and was over in that area. I put the child pads on my AED and placed them on the child and began CPR with a bystander that was a certified nurse. We continued  CPR with a deputy replacing the nurse until EMT's arrived and we transported the child up to the ambulance on a backboard and into a gurney in the ambulance. I then began to gather information from the group. 

There were 15 people on board the vessel, 6 adults and 9 children all under the age of 10.They were out on the lake directly south west of the boat ramp closer to I80. Mother of the child was wake surfing. Four adults including the operator and owner of the boat were seated in the main area of the boat. Most of the kids and subject1 were at the bow of the boat. 

Operator had the cruise control set to 10.5 mph and both ballasts in the boat 85 percent full as he was towing Victim’s mother. Nobody saw VICTIM on the bow of the boat go overboard into the water. All of a sudden everyone heard and felt a thud at the stern of the boat and turned and looked back because Victim’s mother had also fallen while being towed on the wakeboard. 

When they looked back they saw Victim, who was wearing his life jacket, pop up in the water 30 to 50 feet away from the boat. His father and Operator dove into the water to grab Victim and brought him into the boat and began CPR as they also called 911 and headed back toward the boat ramp. They noticed right away a cut above his eyebrow, another cut around his waist where all his bowels came out and his left leg was amputated at about mid calf. All cuts were consistent with being cut by the propeller. 

EMT's called time of death at 1704 after trying to work on him in the ambulance. I continued to gather information and take photos of the boat. The boat was seized as evidence and a consent to search form was signed by Operator. No alcohol was found on the boat or any impairment detected by myself or Trooper who responded to the incident. A day later State bureau of investigations came to Jordanelle State Park where the boat was being kept in a locked facility to run scans on the boat. We were informed by the Medical Examiner that the cause of death was the snapping of the spinal cord by the propeller when it hit Victim in the head.  If that did not then it was the cutting of the femoral artery or the cut in the bowels, but the official cause of death was blunt force trauma. 

Myself and Ranger ran functionality tests on the boat and found that the throttle and steering were in working order. The propeller was removed off the boat and placed into evidence. 

See supplemental's for other details and accounts from other officers as well as pictures of the deceased and dash camera footage of incident.


BARDID: UT-2023-0032
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Hanksville
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
ON 6/19/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 19:30 HOURS. UNIT #1 WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND AT WAKELESS SPEED IN THE BULLFROG COVERED SLIPS WHEN THE PORTSIDE/STERN OF UNIT #1 STRUCK THE WATERSLIDE OF UNIT #2 (BIG WHISKEY) LOCATED AT THE STERN OF THE HOUSEBOAT.  UNIT #2 WAS SECURELY MOORED IN SLIP AND UNOCCUPIED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.


BARDID: UT-2023-0033
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-05 00:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Hanksville
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
VESSEL 2 PULLED UP TO SEWAGE DOCK WITH SMALLER HOUSEBOAT (VESSEL 1) DOCKED IN FRONT OF VESSEL 2.  WIND BLEW VESSEL 2 INTO VESSEL 1 AS VESSEL 2 MOVED FORWARD TO REPOSITION AND HIT VESSEL 1 DUE TO WIND. VESSEL 2 PORT MID HIT STERN AREA OF VESSEL 1 AND PULLED VESSEL 1 AWAY FROM DOCK. VESSEL 2 PUSHED VESSEL 1 OFF THE DOCK AND BROKE VESSEL 1 TIE DOWNS AND PULLED SEWAGE HOSES OUT AND APART.  VESSEL 2 STARTED MOVING BACK AND CAUGHT ONE OF VESSEL 1 ANCHORS SECURED ON THE BOW.  THIS TWISTED VESSEL 1'S RAILING THAT THE BBQ GRILL WAS ATTACHED.  DAMAGE TO VESSEL 2 WAS BENT GUIDE RAILS, HOLE IN SIDE OF BOAT FROM ANCHOR IMPACT AND SCRAPES.


BARDID: UT-2023-0034
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:35:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Deer Creek Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Wallsburg
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Date -  7.23.2023
Time - 1839-2145 hours
Location- Deer Creek State Park, Reservoir, Main Boat Ramp.

Charges Filed- 
41-6a-502 -  Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both or with specified or unsafe blood alcohol concentration
73-18-7(3)(b)-No Registration Card On the vessel
73-18-8(1)(e)- Failure to have a type IV PFD on the vessel

Probable Cause Statement
Operator was operating a vessel. The vessel was involved in an accident involving a passenger whose foot was cut by the prop. On shore, I questioned him about the accident. As he explained I noticed slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Operator explained that he had consumed alcohol earlier that day and agreed to perform seated tests. The results of the tests indicated impairment. 
The results are as follows: Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus - 4 clues displayed, 3 or more indicate impairment,
 Finger to Nose- 13 clues,9 or more indicate impairment,
 Palm Pat- 3 clues, 2 or more indicate impairment,
 Hand Coordination- 4 clues, 3 or more indicate impairment. 

Narrative
On Sunday Jul 23, 2023 at approximately 1835 hours, I responded to a boating accident on Deer Creek State Park Reservoir involving a man whose right foot had been cut by the prop of a boat. The victim of the prop cut was identified and was surfing behind the boat with bow number. Driving the boat was Operator. Operator drove the boat to Deer Creek State Park's Main boat ramp so that he could be treated for his injuries. Injured's foot had been wrapped in a towel by one of the other passengers later identified. While treating Injured one of the Wasatch County Firefighters asked if he had been drinking alcohol. He indicated that he had had alcohol earlier. Subject indicated that everyone on the boat had been drinking. The firefighter asked him what happened. He explained that he was wave surfing behind the boat and had fallen off. When the boat turned around to get him, he explained that the boat basically ran him over. The towel was removed from injured's foot and medical bandages were applied to the foot. He was then transported to Utah valley hospital by ambulance.

Once the boat was trailered I began to collect every passenger's name and date of birth. This information is required for the boating accident report. While I was collecting information, Ranger collected a Driver Operator Statement. Operator was the last person I talked to when collecting information.

I asked Operator for his account of what happened. Operator explained that Injured fell off of the surfboard and that he steered the boat left turn around to pick him up. Operator explained that he was unable to see him at the time when he turned around. Operator then was notified that victim was injured. Once he reached the back of the boat. Operator was then helped onto the boat and transported to the dock. While Operator explained this to me I noticed that his speech was slow and his eyes were bloodshot.

I asked Operator if he had drunk any alcohol that day. Operator explain that he had drunk three beers during the day between the time that they got on the water and 1645 hrs. Operator explained that they launched the boat around 10:40 AM. He consumed three beers and his last beer was finished at 1645. It was currently 1949. I explained to Operator that I was going to check to make sure that he was not impaired at this time. 

I then performed the seated standard field sobriety tests.

I asked Operator the pretest questions. Operator replied no to all of the questions. The questions are as follows.

Do you have any physical defects or disabilities\? 
Do you have any defects with y


BARDID: UT-2023-0035
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:10:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Bear Lake
NearestCityTown: Laketown
County: Rich
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:
PWC vs BOAT ACCIDENT WHERE THE OPERATOR OF THE PWC IS INJURED.

NARRATIVE:
Observed a pre-page for an ambulance to respond to an address.  A 21 year old male was injured in a boating accident.  The injured was on board a boat and they were bringing him into shore near that reported address.

I was on 800 North in Laketown and began my response.  I told dispatch the address was in the Vista Grande area and asked if the dispatcher could have them bring the boat into the dock at the First Point boat ramp.

I arrived at the boat ramp and did not observe a red and white boat close to the area.  Ranger arrived on scene and noticed a red and white boat coming in slowly.  Ranger arrived on scene and assisted with tying the boat to the dock and starting to converse with the injured and the other passengers.

The injured identified himself.  He said he had been operating the PWC (vessel #2) and hit the starboard stern of the swim platform of the boat.  His right leg was in a lot of pain.  Operator 1 identified himself as the operator of the boat (vessel #1).  They focused on assisting the EMTs when they arrived while I focused on gathering information for this report.

I first asked where the PWC that was involved in the accident was.  Operator 1 indicated that taken it back to the rental place at Rendezvous Beach to return it.  He had dispatch notify the Rendezvous Beach Rentals to be looking for the PWC that was involved in the accident.

I gathered verbal statements from multiple passengers that were on the boat.  Operator said he was operating the boat at a speed of 10 to 12 mph , with the engine trimmed up, so as to create a large, deep wake so that Operator 2 could "jump the wake."  This was confirmed by other passengers.  Operator 2 told me he was trying to find the biggest part of the wake that he could.  The passengers on board the boat were encouraging 2 to "jump" the wake and for 1 to keep creating a large wake.  1 indicated that he kept the boat on a straight path, not turning it in either direction.  Occupants provided identification/DLs for her and Operator 2 and told me they had recently moved. 

Operator 2 (on vessel #2) continued in a back and forth manner of operation behind the boat (vessel #1) when slightly before the impact, Operator 2 was far to the right of vessel #1, turned sharply to his left, and at a high rate of speed, impacted vessel #2 into the starboard side of vessel #1's swim platform.  2 said to me that it was close to a 90 degree angle of impact.  1 estimated the speed of vessel #2 to be between 25 and 35 mph.  Based upon the extent of the damage I estimate the speed to be closer to 35 mph.  The impact of vessel #2 with Vessel #1 caused Operator 2 to be thrown from the PWC.  I'm unable to determine whether 2's right leg impacted with either the handlebars of the PWC or the port side of the swim deck of vessel #1 as he was thrown off of the PWC.

Operator 2's was transported to Logan Regional Hospital by ambulance.

I had Operator 1's load the boat on the trailer and I was able to take photos of the boat and its damage.  I noticed the boat and the boat's trailer both had expired registrations.  1 told me he had rented the boat from a another, with cell phone number.  1 could not provide me with a copy of a rental agreement, but said he had one.  1 looked on his phone fro emails, but could not find any with a rental agreement.  

The damage to Vessel #1:  Impact causing damage to break/punch a hole through the fiberglass, just above the rub rail, on the starboard stern corner where the swim deck extends from the transom of the boat.  This includes damage to the rub rail and the surrounding gel coat above and below the rub rail.

Operator 1 needed to pick up from Rendezvous Beach.  I also needed to go to Rendezvous Beach to gather information and photos of the PWC involved in the accident.

At Rendezvous Beach, I took photos and gathered my information for vessel #2.  The damage to vessel#2 included some gel coat cracking above the rub rail.  It also included two obvious breaks in the fiberglass that are deeper than the gel coat, just below the rub rail on the forward portion of the starboard side of the PWC.  The starboard sponson was also damaged with a piece broken off and had hairs of fiberglass from vessel #1 embedded in the edges.  It is highly likely that the sponson is what "punched" the hole in the fiberglass of vessel #1. 

When Operator 1 arrived with the boat, we were still unable to determine actual ownership and current registration for vessel #1.  I decided we needed to impound the trailer of vessel #1 and its trailer.  The details of the impound will be in a supplement to this report.

On 8/20/2023, Owner called the park phone number and left a message for the officer to call him back.  In the evening I called him and left a message.  He called me back and claimed he was the owner of the boat and the trailer.

On 8/21/2023, I changed the owner of vessel #1 from being unknown to him.  Also on 8/21/2023 I issued a citation to Operator 2, for his fault in the accident.  I also issued a citation to owner -, as he was the reported owner of the boat who was renting the boat with no current registration, no insurance evidence at the time of the accident, along with 3 livery (boat rental) company requirements.


BARDID: UT-2023-0036
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Hanksville
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
OPERATOR WAS  LOOKING FOR A BEACH FOR HOUSEBOAT.  OPERATOR WAS TRYING TO STAY WITHIN THE BOUY AREA WHICH HE THOUGHT WAS A CHANNEL MARKER.  VESSEL 1 STRUCK A ROCK AFTER REALIZING THE BOUY WAS FOR THE ROCK NOT MARKING THE CHANNEL.


BARDID: UT-2023-0037
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: East Canyon Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Morgan
County: Morgan
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
PWC INJURY EAST CANYON RESERVOIR:

SYNOPSIS:
A call was received about reckless jet ski operations. Later a call came in that stated an individual was injured that fell off one of the jet skis. Rangers and medical responded and found an injured 15 year old male. Upon investigation a 17 year old male was operating and the 15 year old was a passenger. 15 year old male received medical care and was transported. 17 year old male was cited and released. 

NARRATIVE;
While on patrol at East Canyon Reservoir I, Ranger, received a phone call from a seasonal employee stating a complaint had come in about a set of jet skis being reckless near other boaters. The boaters stated the jet skis were coming within a few feet of the boats and trying to jump their wakes. I told the employee I would respond as soon as I was available. Before I could respond another call came from the seasonal employee stating that someone was reporting a person on the jet skis was extremely hurt and at the boat dock. I received this call at 11:41 on 08/27/2023. I advised dispatch we had a PWC injury at the boat dock at East Canyon and to send medical and that I would advise on patient information. 

Rangers 1, 2 and I responded and found a 15 year old male lying on a kayak at the top of the boat ramp. Ranger 3 gathered patient information and found the individual was complaining of severe neck and back pain. I advised dispatch of the patient information. Ranger 3 continued to assess and provide aid for the male while Ranger 2 and I investigated the incident. I identified the complainant of the reckless operation and he confirmed what my seasonal employee had told me about the speed and proximity violations. See his attached witness statement. I asked the group to identify the driver of the PWC and found the operator of the PWC. 

Operator stated to me that he was operating the PWC with the 15 year old male (identified) as the passenger behind him. Both male's were wearing USCG type III PFDs. He stated they were on the jet ski "going fast, having fun, [we] hit a wave, went too high, and we both fell off". I asked him if he had taken the PWC operator course and had his PWC operator license and he stated that he had started it but had not finished it and did not have the license. I described the speed and proximity complaint I had received and explained that law to him. 

I identified the owner of the PWC as owner who was with the group. I explained the need for anyone under 18 operating his vessel to have the operators license as well as obey speed and proximity. I performed a vessel inspection with him and found all necessary items and documents. No damage occurred to the vessel and no other vessels were involved beside's the speed and proximity violation. 

Medical arrived and continued to assess and administer aid to Injured. They was transported by ambulance to Primary Children's Hospital with permission from his parents who were also on scene. I identified Operator
s mother who had arrived at the scene and issued a citation to operator in her presence. I cited him for operating a PWC without an operator's license and warned for the speed and proximity violation. I explained both the citation and court information to him and his mother.

Based on my investigation it appears that contributing factors to this injury may be operator inexperience, reckless/careless operation, excessive speed, failing to obey speed and proximity, strong force of waves/wake, and operating without a PWC license. Based on my training and experience legal operation as far as age or operator licenses and a better knowledge of boating laws and rules may have prevented this accident/injury. 

END OF REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0038
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-17 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: East Canyon Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Morgan
County: Morgan
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
BOAT ACCIDENT EAST CANYON RESERVOIR

SYNOPSIS:
A boat accident occurred at East Canyon when no ranger's were available to respond. I handled the investigation after the report of the accident had been made. I found that one vessel was responsible for causing the accident running into the other while it was tied off at the dock. Weather, age, and inexperience were the main contributing factors. Citations were not issued. 

NARRATIVE: 
While off duty on 8/17/2023 I, Ranger, received a call from dispatch stating there was a property damage only boat accident at East Canyon Reservoir. I stated that I was unable to respond but would call the complainant. I was able to get in contact with the complainant. They stated that his boat was docked at East Canyon when another boat ran into his vessel causing damage to his vessel. He requested a report be made. He explained that he had exchanged information with the other operator and left the scene. I stated I would complete an investigation into the incident.

Operator 1 identified the owner of the vessel that hit his. I was able to reach Operator 2 by phone and found that he was camping at
East Canyon Resort. On 08/20/2023 I went over to the Resort to meet with Operator 2 and gather more information on the incident. I found Operator 2 and his vessel in his campsite and investigated the damage on his boat. There was minimal damage on his vessel. The only visible damage was on the metal rod that connects his sunshade top together. This rod had some visible scratches were Operator 2 stated the rod rubbed against the other vessel. The plastic piece where the rod connects was also broken. Operator 2 explained that he and his wife, were trying to get off the water due to a storm that came upon the reservoir. Operator 2 stated that he usually lets his wife operate the vessel to the dock and he hops off the bow while she places the vessel in reverse and waits for him to get the truck and trailer. Operator 2 stated that as his wife approached the dock a gust of wind along with strong waves took their vessel into V1 causing cosmetic scratches and dings. Ms. V2 attempted to maneuver away from the other vessel which may have caused more scratches while she was under power trying to get away from the vessel. A vessel inspection was performed and V2 had all necessary equipment, registration, and insurance. According to the V2 cloudy weather, wind, and choppy water were the most contributing factors to this incident. Operator 1 stated to me on the phone he believed alcohol was the most contributing factor. I did not see any signs of alcohol use throughout the his campsite or vessel. I asked the group if alcohol was a factor in the incident and they stated they do not drink alcohol.

On 08/21/2023 I traveled to Perry City where Ranger and I investigated Operator 1 vessel at his home. There was noticeable scratches and dings on the hull of his aluminum vessel. A vessel inspection showed Operator 1 to have all necessary items and paperwork. Operator 1 stated he had his vessel tied off to the dock while he went to get his truck and he observed the vessel 2 run into his. Inside the vessel were V1's daughter and father in law. Operator 1 again claimed that the Operator 2 were "drunk". I asked him what led him to believe that and he stated they "smelled like alcohol". I asked if he saw any alcoholic beverages in there vessel and he stated they did not. 

Upon inspecting both vessels and gather witness statements from the involved parties it was my determination that the accident's contributing factors were choppy water, wind, and weather. Other contributing factors may be age, operator inexperience, and possibly alcohol based on the statements from Operator 1, however I did not see any indications that alcohol was involved. The Operator 2 stated the accident was there fault and that they did not operate


BARDID: UT-2023-0040
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:
On Thursday, Aug 24, 2023 near Halls Crossing Marina and the mouth of Bullfrog Bay a boat struck land. 5 people were on board, 3 in serious condition and were later transported via Helicopter. The other 2 were checked out and released by the Bullfrog Clinic. The Vessel was a total loss and a boat accident report was filed.

CRASH: 

The crash occurred at approximately 2110 on Thursday, August 24, 2023 near Buoy 93a on Lake Powell. Vessel 1, a 1997 Reinell, was traveling northwest from Halls Crossing Marina towards Bullfrog Marina. The boat was traveling around speeds of (20-25MPH). The vessel was traveling on the left side of buoy 93a, when it struck and hit land on a rock feature. The rock was shaped like a jetty, and was located near the entrance to Bullfrog Bay. 

VESSEL 1: 

Once the Vessel struck the rock, it made a loud noise (noted by Witness) and came to a stop. The vessel was wedged onto the rock. Operator and owner, was in the down position in the driver seat when they struck the rock. Operator hit the steering wheel and launched forward into the front windshield. Later he would receive the suspected serious injury/ Deep Laceration to his head and pain to the chest. Operator was flown later from Bullfrog Clinic to St George Regional. 

Front Passenger stated he was standing at the time of the incident. Operator was also thrown forward into the windshield. Due to the forward motion and striking the front compartments, he was suspected of serious injury to his chest. His suspected injuries included broken ribs and a pneumothorax (punctured or collapsed lung). Operator was flown later from Bullfrog Clinic to St George Regional. 

Middle Port Passenger: was seated in the seat directly behind  Operator. The chair she was sitting on also served purposes as a bench that could fold out and in. The chair she was seated and was later found on August 26th, about 50 yards to the west of the crash. she was the first person to be treated and flown out by helicopter due to a suspected serious injury to her spine, and head. 

Middle Starboard Passenger: Occupant was in the seat facing the rear, in the two different facing seats attached to the operator's position. Occupant sustained very minimal injuries during the accident with some bumps and bruises. Occupant helped the others on the boat.

Back Passenger:  Occupant 2 was seated on the engine cover of the boat and was thrown into the vessel. Occupant 2 most serious injury was a suspected mild concussion and hit his head when the boat came to a stop. Occupant 2 was released from the medical clinic in Bullfrog that night.

NARRATIVE:
At approximately 2131 on Thursday, August 24, 2023 I (Ranger) received a call from a National Park Service (NPS) Ranger stating that he received a call from the Glen Canyon Dispatch of a vessel that struck a rock near Halls Crossing. Occupant 3 requested that I could come and assist (due to my ability to boat at Night). The call lasted about one minute as I gathered more information and planned for us all to meet at the Government boat dock. Once in service, I responded to the government dock where I was met by Ranger  and Ranger . They prepped the vessel with medical supplies and an extra backboard.

At the time multiple calls had made contact with Glen Canyon Dispatch. Dispatch provided the new information that there were a total of 5 people and they were pinging coordinates near the mouth of Bullfrog Bay. We called on water to dispatch shortly after prepping the boat and made our way to the coordinates provided by Dispatch. Around 2210 and about 50 to 100 Yds out, we spotted a flood light from a bystander boat. I came off-plane at a wakeless speed to make sure we could find a safe path to the accident. As we got closer, we noticed that 4 of the 5 passengers were out of the boat and on the rock. The last of the five, Occupant 5 was still inthe boat and a bystander, later identified, was holding her in the water,in a C-spine hold towards the back of the boat. 

The back end of the boat was in the water about 3-5 feet down with the front half of the boat perched on the rock they struck. While holding in C-spine hold, Occupant was stating patient info to Ranger as we were making our approach. The other vessel with the flood light/spotlight had two individuals onboard later identified as the owner of the vessel,  and his son  who was operating the vessel. They guided us to the beach area where it would be best to approach with the vessel, and gave us a run down of who was who and their suspected injuries. While approaching the shore Rangers exited the boat with their medical kits and began to triage and assess the scene. EMT 1 being an Advanced EMT took care of the most critical condition patient and EMT 2 did a quick assessment on the others. I anchored my boat and tried to find a land Zone for the Classic Helicopter, which was about 15 mins out. We had about a 10x10 Land Zone for Classic. 

Waiting for Classic, I supported the needs of injured by grabbing a C-Collar out of his medical bag and started trying to remove glass so we could get them to the bow of the boat. We were trying to get her onto the land as soon as possible, because the boat was taking on water. We tried breaking down the frame that held the glass windshield, but we were unsuccessful. We got injured 1 to the center of the bow on the scoper backboard. We had her in a position that was stable. Once she was in the center of the bow Ranger placed a rope on the back board that I grabbed off my boat dock lines. This rope helped so I could pull the back board up the bow of the boat while the two kept her stable. We got her to the end of the bow and Classic arrived around 22:30 and landed in the 10x10. Once  injured were off the boat, we took injured 2 and put her on the sand stone where Classic Medics took over. 

They began to assess the other individuals on the boat, as I tried to gather information on the less injured. She was still in shock and was unable to give clear information on the events that lead up to the crash. I had her and her brother stay by the two patients while they were being treated. Individual was on the phone with his brother, who also called into Dispatch. I wrote patient info down for injured as they were assessing them. 

Once injured 1 was stabilized and was giving pain killers by classic, I assisted with classic flight crew and the bystander with transporting her toward the helicopter. On the way back I grabbed the backboard on my boat at the request of injured to help transport  onto my boat. We got them to lay down on the backboard but she was in excruciating pain. Classic took off shortly after. We notified Dispatch to request the Bullfrog Clinic to meet us at the Clinic and have another Ranger,, bring down Medic 5 (the park's ambulance) and meet us at the North Ramp. 
After requesting the clinic and Ranger, with help, NPS RANGERS we were able to get injured on my boat and ready for transportation. I asked if they could help by following my vessel to Bullfrog North Ramp with injureds aboard their vessel. This was so they would have room to work if needed. They kindly accepted and got the others onto their boat, ready for transport. 

PATIENT TRANSPORTATION:
Once on the boat we pulled away from the scene notifying dispatch of our patient info and our passengers. We traveled back to Bullfrog at Plowing speeds (around 10-15 MPH) to minimize further injury or risk. Transportation time by boat was around 15 mins. 
We met Ranger at the dock and got the wheeled stretcher  and assisted them


BARDID: UT-2023-0041
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:25:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Page
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS 
On September 3, 2023, I took a report of a damaged engine cowling on an unoccupied homebuilt houseboat near Castle Rock on Lake Powell. 

NARRATIVE  
On September 3, 2023, I was on a call with Officer, when Glenn Canyon Dispatch notified me  of an incident that occurred involving a National Park Service (NPS) vessel and a personal vessel. Due to the fact of conflict of interest I was assigned the call to investigate the incident. I was given the location of the incident and would respond to the area after finishing up the call I was on. 

He and I located the involved vessel, a 1981 Homebuilt Houseboat (Vessel 1), at the time it was beached and anchored to shore with four (4) ropes. I met the owner of the houseboat. He explained that a Park Ranger just issued him a citation for Pin Anchoring. After being issued a citation he learned from witnesses that the Park Ranger was on his vacant houseboat prior to be contacted. He expressed his concern about Law Enforcement being on his vessel without his knowledge. I asked him about the damage to the vessel. he showed me the damage to his engine cowling. 

Looking over the damage, I noted that there was a significant crease in the fiberglass engine cowling. The damage continued to the fly wheel cover below the engine cowling. He explained that the crease was caused by raising the engine too high. He pointed to the railing that is on the stern deck of the vessel. I noted an aluminum hand rail that when around the outboard engine area. I confirmed that when the engine is raised to the max limit it will strike the handrail. Photos were taken of the damaged area.  

I asked him to fill out a witness statement of the events that took place. His wife, also filled out a witness statement. In speaking to the group, it became apparent that Vessel 1 was unoccupied during the incident and that they did not witness the NPS Ranger on their vessel. He was told about NPS Rangers being in the area of Vessel 1 by several day-users, who were no longer on scene. He was unable to identify the witness or had any previous knowledge of the witness. Both witness statements are attached to this report.  At the time they were unable to provide proof of insurance. My business card was left with him and asked to send me the insurance paperwork. 

We then cleared the scene and made our way back to the docks. 

At the docks I made contact with NPS Ranger via phone to get his side of the story. In talking to him, I learned that earlier in the day he noticed Vessel 1 beached on the shore near Castle Rock with two (2) Pin Anchors. He beached his patrol vessel away from Vessel 1 due to the how shallow the area was directly around Vessel 1. Once his patrol vessel was beach he walked over to Vessel 1 and announced his presence. At the time no one was around and he left the scene. Several hours later he returned to Vessel 1 to see if anyone was around. Once again Vessel 1 was unoccupied. Upon leaving the second time he made contact with Operator off the beach from Vessel 1 on a pleasure vessel. he issued the citation for Pin Anchoring from his patrol vessel and his pleasure vessel (away from Vessel 1). 

In talking to Officer at no point did he enter Vessel 1 or gained access to Vessel 1. He explained he activated his body camera for both contacts. I asked him to share his report for Pin Anchoring, along with his body camera footage. Upon completing his report, I will attached his statement in a supplement report to this BAR Report. 

FINDINGS
My findings show that on September 3rd, Operator, along with several other individuals left camp to travel up to Warm Creek Bay (Approx. 13:00), a one (1) hour boat trip (one-way).  During this time the camp and Vessel 1 was left unoccupied. NPS arrived at the camp the first time while he was gone and left the area. NPS made contact with him on the water after returning to Vessel 1 a second time. Both contacts NPS called dispatch to notify them of his interactions and is time stamped via radio logs. Once he came back to camp after receiving a citation he noticed the damage to the outboard engine. I feel this is not the case. 

I believe after receiving a citation, he removed the two (2) anchor pins in question and readjusted his houseboat (Vessel 1). After readjusting the position of the houseboat (Vessel 1) he raised the engine of the outboard motor and caused the damaged. I noted the engine in the down position during my investigation. During my interaction with the group and NPS it was apparent that everyone had been consuming alcohol. I could detect the odor of alcohol with each person from the group. Due to the time the incident occurred (~18:00) to the time I arrived on scene (~20:45), a long time had passed to further my investigation for impaired driving and alcohol could be a factor in this incident. Witnesses to seeing NPS Ranger on Vessel 1 were not present or did attempt to gather there information (Photos/Video) from the witnesses about the events that took place. 

A supplement report will be done once I receive NPS report and insurance information from him. 
-	End of Report.


BARDID: UT-2023-0042
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: San Juan
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1:
On 9/2/2023 around 1800 a Wakeboard boat with Bow Number and operated by Operator was traveling uplake towards Bullfrog marina, from the Rincon. Around buoy 81 they hit a wake caused by another white cabin boat as the boat hit the wake the passenger lift up over her seat about a foot and came back down striking her wrist on the fiber glass bow of the boat causing a suspected fractured and dislocated wrist. 

Transport: 

Injured was transported to Bullfrog Marina and then drove to the Bullfrog Clinic. 

Narrative:
On 9/2/2023 around 2000 I (Ranger) was checking off dispatch when they called for a possible boat accident report at the clinic. I responded with Ranger. I met with Operator and Injured to follow up on the injury until the clinic arrived and the boat accident report. Clinic provided care and will be doing a report on their end for medical. I began to gather information and suspected no drugs or alcohol involved. When talking to the Operator and the other passengers on the boat they were only able to tell me that it was a white cabin boat that caused the wake. Operator stated that he estimated 50-100 feet away. No other identifying description on the boat. Due to the lack of evidence of finding the other boat we wont be able to pursue action for the Speed and Prox. 

Medical:
Injured wrist was fractured/broken and not in place. Bullfrog Clinic was able to reset and splint the wrist back into place. 

FOLLOW-UP:
I followed up the boat accident by a boat inspection for safety equipment with all needed/required equipment and making note of Injured seating position. I met the other members/passengers of the boat on the O dock at the marina where I was able to gather all the passengers information and the paperwork for the boat. Operator stated, "We hit a big wake near the rincon and once we hit it I throttled down." He said they were not going that fast. Around 15 mph this lined up with his statement. After gathering all the information on the vessel I spoke with him about the insurance policy number which he stated he would be able to send me a copy at a later time. The insurance will be supplemental later. 

Injured was released from the clinic around 2200. 

END OF REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0043
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause3: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:
On 9/4/2023 around 1630 in Halls Creek Bay, two females (operator) and (passenger) were riding on a Personal Watercraft (PWC). While traveling back to their camping spot, the operator stated they hit a section of water that was like an eddy and it threw the two off the vessel. Injured from the water stated she couldn't move her hip. She was transported to Bullfrog clinic. Then later self transported to the hospital in Grand Junction.

VESSEL 1:  On 9/4/2023 around 1630 in Halls Creek Bay, two females (operator) and (passenger) were riding on a Personal Watercraft (PWC). While traveling back to their camping spot the operator stated they hit a water that was like an eddy  as they were entering Halls Creek bay and it threw the two off the vessel. Injured being thrown into the the water stated she couldn't move her hip. At this time Operator helped by grabbing Injured and transported her to Bullfrog Boat rental dock.

Initial Contact: On 9/4/2023 dispatch called out around 1700, for Bullfrog units to respond to a possible boat incident. One woman with a possible hip dislocation/injury. Around 1725 Ranger, Ranger, Medic and Myself responded and made contact of the injured individual at the boat rental office. Ranger took primary for the medical, as I gathered information for the boat accident. During our initial contact, I could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Operator. The driver was Idenified  by name and DOB. After she was moved on the stretcher and taken by medic  to Bullfrog clinic, I began gathering more information from operator. While talking to Operator I asked if she had anything to drink and she stated she had not and that was the reason she was driving the jetski. Following up with Injured and other parties of the group they had all stated the same statements. I had Operator run threw HGN and found no impairment nor expected use of drugs. Gathering more information on the vessel it had current registrations, but failure to display bow #`s and registration. 

Injured`s statement stated verbatim "Riding the jetski with Operator in pretty smooth water, going probably 30 mph (ISH), next thing I know I am flipping through the water. Came up to Injured screaming about her hip. We radiod our boat to come get us and took her to Bullfrog for medical attention." SEE ATTACHED

Due to the unknown causing circumstance I followed up with more questions. She stated that they didn't hit a rock and were in about 30' of water, She later then stated, 'that it was like a whirling water thing like when your rafting "a eddy".' Due to the fluid dynamics of the how eddies are formed, Halls Creek Bay could possibly form a eddy from previous flows of water ,but very rare to force a PWC to flip. Operator stated, 'that no other input was made, was just going straight.' When they arrived at the Boat rentals the Kill Switch was attached and looked fully connected once inspecting it closer. Reason for Ejection is unknown.

Clinic: At the clinic Operator stated, "I feel like I am probably at a .08", referring to how drunk she was, when asked for what she had eaten and drank that day.

NOTE: On 9/9/2023 while patrolling Bullfrog bay I stopped the PWC due to no Bow Numbers and made the connection it was the same vessel from 9/4/2023 incident. Following up, they stated Injured has fractured her T1 and T2 with a bulging disk. The boat owner of the PWC, will be following up with the policy number once he reaches service. Will add in supplemental once received.

NPS and Clinic will be both making report of actions taken. 

END of REPORT


BARDID: UT-2023-0046
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:15:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
Around 1815 on 07/09/2023 Near Halls Marina in the Main channel a female, id'd, was wake surfing. She stated that as she was falling her arm slip through the triangle and fell the boat continued to go a little bit forward but Her arm was stuck in the rope making a pulling action on her upper arm. The operator id'd stated he was driving and she had fallen down a couple of times in that day so he stated he slowed down to around 10.6 miles per hour for the wake speed and then stated the she fell through the rope and it gave pulled her arm. 

She was self transported to the Bullfrog Clinic and was treated for her injuries there. 
I (RANGER) followed up on dock at Bullfrog Marina with the operator and verified the accident and when through the situation and checked his boat for all the safety equipment. He was able to go throughout the whole inspection with no missing equipment and very with it showing no signs of impairment. 

Other Witnesses are attached to the report and stated the same events that led to the injury. 

END


BARDID: UT-2023-0048
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:15:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Willard Bay
NearestCityTown: willard
County: Box Elder
WaterConditions: Rough
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Synopsis: Wakeboard boat sank that had nine people on board. No one was hurt. Auxiliary coast guard assisted in rescuing the nine souls. 


Narrative:

On August 19th 2023 at approximately 13:15, I was notified by dispatch of a possible sunken boat. Dispatch sent me a picture of where the phone was pinging and it appeared to be just south of freeway bay and just north of the south marina. RANGER then met me at the ranger boat dock and we headed out on the water. I notified auxiliary coast guard of the situation and possible location since they were already out on the water. 

Assistant and I scanned the waters as we headed towards the possible sunken vessel location when we were flagged down by a boat with several people on board that was dead in the water but it was not our sinking boat so we told them we'd be back and moved on. 
As Assistant and I moved on, the coast radioed and said they had found the sunken boat and passengers. 7 of the passengers had been picked up by a good citizen, on a wakeboarding boat, that had gotten there just before the coast guard. The coast guard then picked up the remaining 2 in the water, one of them being the owner and operator of the sunken vessel. The operator tied a bumper onto the sunken boat to mark it before getting into the coast guards boat. 
Assistant and I headed to the south marina with the coast guard and the wakeboarding boat shortly behind us. Once everyone was on the dock at the south marina I collected everyone's information and accounts of what happened.

According to the operator and passengers, they had one of their passengers, wake surfing behind them and their ballast tanks were full to make the wake. Most of the other passengers were sitting towards the front of the boat. When the wake surfer fell into the water the operator came off plane and turned to collect the surfer. When coming off plane the bow dipped down a bit and when the operator turned, he turned into a big wave caused by the wind that had started to gust. They then were hit with two more big waves causing them to take on even more water. It was too much water for the boat. The boat began to sink. The passengers were able to get life jackets on before the boat completely sank. The boat sank in about 22 or 23 feet of water and the bow of the boat was just beneath the surface of the water. Luckily a couple of them had their cell phones and were able to call 911. 

The main contributing factors in this case seems to be the wind and large waves versus a full boat. Unknown if there was any mechanical failures that contributed. No signs of alcohol or impairment involved. No injuries and no one requested medical. 

Owner of the boat will be contacting his insurance to coordinate a recovery of the sunken vessel. 

A hazard buoy was placed to keep other boats from the sunken vessel. 

I forgot to get the information of the 9th passenger, younger 8 year old son. I will attempt to contact to get the son's name and birthday. 


END OF REPORT 


BARDID: UT-2023-0049
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-01 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:10:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: East Canyon Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Henefer
County: Morgan
WaterConditions: Choppy
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentCause2: Improper anchoring
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
Ranger contacted me from East Canyon and stated one of their concession boats was damaged and they needed a report on it. I went to East Canyon and took pictures of the boat.  They had taken it out of the water and on the trailer. The bow was very damaged with a large hole in the bow.  Much of the fiberglass was missing.  I drove down to the boat ramp and went over to the dock.  I went to the slip where the boat was tied off.  The boat was pulled in bow first on the dock with the Port side of the boat being tied off to two cleats on the dock.  The front cleat was broken off.  Upon closer observations you could see the break was very new.  The metal edges where it broke were still shiny from the break.  The dock on the bow of the boat had clear evidence of damage too.  The spot where two dock sections were connected by a large metal pin was worn.  The end of the pin had many spots were it was dented and the metal was shiny.  It was obvious that the bow had rubbed and bounced against the pin which created the hole in the boat.

 On the day the boat was damaged she was working.  I have a witness statement filled out from her.  She stated she went out in the morning and checked all the boats.  They were all tied off and there was no damage to the boat at that time.  During the day a very large storm came through which produced a lot of wind and waves.  Sometime during the wind storm the cleat broke loose and the boat was damaged.  This is a rental boat for East Canyon State Park Concessions.  It is owned by State Parks and insured through Risk Management.


BARDID: UT-2023-0051
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 09:35:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Sand Hollow Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Hurricane
County: Washington
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Around 09:35, Aug 3, 2023 a call came out for a drowning at Sand Hollow. Victim had no life jacket. I arrived at the park about 45 min later. As I came into the main boat ramp area, I saw Washington County Search and Rescue already staging. 

Ranger was off duty fishing on the lake when the call came out. He had already been out to the scene and was coming back in just after I arrived. I went out on the boat with him to see what we could do. We went across the lake to the South side. We arrived at the forth buoy from the West dam. I found a few family members and three Hurricane Valley Fire EMT's on a ten year old Supreme boat. I spoke with the mother of the drowned teen. The boat was circling around the buoy in hopes to find something. It was now about an hour after the time of drowning. I sent the boat back to the beach to create more space for the dive boat that was incoming. 

Hurricane City came into the park a little before me and they were staged on the beach. They took care of interviewing the family and investigating the details surrounding the drowning. Just before 12:30 our Sand Hollow ranger boat was able to locate something resembling a body on our fish finder. A diver went down and was able to locate the body and tie a line on it. Another two divers went down with a bag and were able to recover the body. The majority of this was recorded on an aquatic drone camera. The body was transported to the Sand Hollow maintenance shop, where it was turned over to ME. For Hurricane PD reports refer to Incident #: 23H005271


There is very little information but it appears the victim fell overboard.  THere was a disability involved. 


BARDID: UT-2023-0054
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-07-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Deer Creek Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber City
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:

On 25 July 2023 at approximately 1200, I was called to reports of a sinking vessel at Deer Creek State Park with ten occupants on board. The vessel was recovered and placed back on the trailer. The occupants who had rented the boat maintained custody of the vessel. the owner was contacted.

NARRATIVE:

On the above date and time, I was called to reports of a sinking vessel at Deer Creek State Park, North of the Main Marina. Ranger and I responded from Jordanelle State Park. We were notified that there were ten people in the water. Ranger and I activated our emergency lights and sirens. We downgraded in Heber City proper, when we were notified that all occupants had life jackets and had been removed from the water by witnesses.

When I arrived on scene, Ranger and I decided that he would get on the boat and try to locate the vessel and I would make contact with the occupants who were now on shore at the Main Boat Ramp.

OCCUPANT STATEMENTS:

Subject1, the individual who had rented the vessel from OWNER stated that he son had been operating the vessel when it had become swamped and sunk. SUBJECT1 told me that they had stopped the vessel to pickup their wake surfer who had fallen. When they stopped, the wakes they had created began to come into the boat and swamped it. The vessel continued to take on water so he occupants put life jackets on and exited the boat.

I asked SUBJECT1 if the bilge pump had been running and he stated that he was not sure.

Occupants stated they had only been on the vessel for around 20 minutes before the incident occurred.

VESSEL RETRIEVAL:

Ranger was able to hook onto the bow of the vessel. The very top portion of the bow was the only thing remaining out of the water when he arrived. Ranger towed the vessel into the dock. As he arrived, I was able to see the bilge pumps actively working to pump out water. This indicated that it was not an equipment failure of the bilge that had caused the vessel to sink.

I had the occupants retrieve their trailer and park it next to the wedge dock. We were able to pull the vessel onto the trailer with a rope. Once the vessel was secured onto the trailer, the occupants were instructed to pull the vehicle up to let it drain.

The bilge and ballast pumps were turned on to pump out water. We confirmed that the drain plug was in properly and then had the renters remove it.

The vessel remained on the ramp to drain.

ADDITIONAL:

SUBJECT1 was informed that he needed to contact DEQ to report the gas that had spilled into the reservoir when it sunk, within 24 hours. He was giving the phone number for the hotline.

I contacted the boat owner to obtain his insurance paperwork. SUBJECT1 sent me a copy of the insurance he had gotten through the rental company, Boatsetter.

I confirmed that OWNER was a registered Livery with the State of Utah.

At the time of contact with OWNER, he had not been notified by his renters that his boat had sunk and been retrieved.

CONCLUSION:

The vessel was fully submerged. While the battery's were still operable, I was unable to determine the full extend of damage to the internals parts of the vessel.


BARDID: UT-2023-0055
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-15 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jordanelle Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber City
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS:

On 15 July 2023 at approximately 1700, I responded to a dislocated shoulder injury on the main dock. The involved party was transported to Park City Hospital.

NARRATIVE:

On the above date and time, I responded to reports of a dislocated shoulder on the Main Dock at Jordanelle. victim had been water skiing when she fell. She did not release the rope and it dislocated her shoulder. She had previously had issues with the shoulder and had surgery on that shoulder.

Ranger and I provided medical aid until an ambulance could arrive. 


She was transported to Park City Hospital.


BARDID: UT-2023-0056
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:57:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jordanelle Reservoir
NearestCityTown: Heber
County: Wasatch
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Synopsis:

I assisted with a medical on the main docks at Jordanelle Reservoir. 

Narrative:

On September 2, 2023 at 1057 hours, I received a call from my Quagga staff of a medical that occurred on the main docks with a broken hand and a lot of blood. I requested medical response and went en route to the scene. Ranger and I arrived on scene and were flagged down to the 3 stall of the docks. Ranger assisted with first aid getting the left hand of the involved party wrapped up with gauze to help control the bleeding. I began to get witness statements and information with the involved vessel. Medical arrived on scene an treatment with a higher level of care and medication. 

The mother and sister of the injured party, stated that Victim was on the dock attempting to prevent the boat from hitting the dock when her hand was crushed between the boat and dock causing the injury. Subject stated the boat engine was turned off but was still drifting towards the dock. 

Victim was transported via ambulance to the Park City Medical Center. I contacted the father who was the registered owner of the boat and performed a vessel safety inspection and gather more information. I assisted him with loading the boat onto the trailer. 

End of report.


BARDID: UT-2023-0057
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:45:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Ticaboo
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was driving in a canyon and several boats had passed through the area causing waves, under one of the waves was a small boat fender that was not visible due to the waves.  Operator passed over the area at a rate of speed or about 0 mph.  As operator passed over the fender he hit something with the prop of the boat which caused a vibration in the prop area.


BARDID: UT-2023-0058
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Page
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Equipment failure
EquipmentFailure: Auxiliary
OtherEquipmentFailure: Tow line snapped
AccidentEvent1: Other
OtherAccidentEvent: Person struck by tow rope
RedactedNarrative:
ON JULY 25, 2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 1108 HOURS, GLEN CANYON DISPATCH WAS ADVISED OF A MEDICAL OCCURING IN LAST CHANCE BAY BY KANE COUNTY DISPATCH. HOWEVER, THIS ADVISEMENT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A COURTESY AS KANE COUNTY DISPATCH HAD ALREADY LAUNCHED A CLASSIC AIR MEDICAL WITHOUT ANY GLEN CANYON INPUT. THE PATIENT, SUFFERING DEEP LACERATIONS TO HER RIGHT LEG WAS FLOWN TO A HOSPITAL IN ST. GEORGE, UT.
AT APPROXIMATELY 1312 HOURS, A PARTY ON SCENE NOTIFIED GLEN CANYON DISPATCH THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AS A SKI BOAT ATTEMPTED TO PULL A HOUSEBOAT FROM A SHALLOW SHELF WHERE IT HAD RUN AGROUND. 

I PARK RANGER CONTACTED THE REPORTING PARTIES TO FOLLOW UP ON THE VESSEL ACCIDENT. GIVEN THAT THEIR HOUSEBOAT WAS STILL BEACHED, I ASSISTED THEM IN CONTACTING ANTEPOLE POIT EXECTUVE SERVICES. I ALSO WAS ABLE TO EMAIL O1 A COPY OF THE NPS BOAT ACCIDENT REPORT FORM, WHICH HE FILLED OUT TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY. ON JULY 26, 2023 THE HOUSEBOAT "SWEET ESCAPE" WAS ASSISTED AND WAS REMOVED FROM THE SHELF IT HAD BEEN STRANDED ON. 
O1 STATED THAT HIS HOUSEBOAT WAS STUCK ON THE BEACH SO THEY HOOLED A TOW ROPE TO THE MALIBU AND ON THE BACK OF THE HOUSE BOAT. O1 STATED THAT THE CARABINER BROKE OFF THE  MALIBU AT FULL TENSION WHICH SENT THE ROPE AND CARABINER FLYING TO THE BACK OF THE HOUSEBOAT. THE ROPE STRUCK A PASSENGER STANDING ON THE BACK OF THE HOUSEBOAT AND TOOK A LARGE AMOUNT OF FLESH OFF HER LEG.  PICKTURE AND DIAGRAM ARE AVALABLE WITH NPS. O1 WAS UNSURE WHETHER THE PASSENGER HAD BEEN STRUCK BY THE ROPE OR THE CARABINER BUT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO EITHER BOAT.
END OF REPORT.


BARDID: UT-2023-0059
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:16:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: LAKE POWELL
NearestCityTown: PAGE
County: KANE
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
OPERATOR STATED IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT THEY STARTED TO PULL THEIR SON AND FRIEND ON THEIR TUBE. THE BOAT WAS GOING 10-15 MPH AND THAT CAUSED THE FRONT OF THE BOAT TO BE RAISED. OCCUPANT AND OPERATOR WERE INSIDE THE BOAT WATCHING THE TUBERS TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE OK. tHEY STARTED TO WARN OPERATOR THAT THE BOAT WAS HEADED TOWARDS LAND BUT COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THEM.  THE OPERATOR AND PASSENGER WERE LOOKING BACK AND DIDN'T NOT SEE IN FRONT BEFORE HITTING THE ROCKS.


BARDID: UT-2023-0060
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-15 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:50:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: LAKE POWELL
NearestCityTown: PAGE
County: KANE
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Restricted vision
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On july 15 at approximately 8:00 pm glen canyon national recreation area dispatch received a report of a vessel accident in the area of padre bay where a vessel was stuck on a rock and taking on water. Officer and i arrived at the boat near cookie jar in padre bay at approximately 8:28 pm and identified 7 individuals who were trying to bail water from the vessel, a 2021 blue/gray cobalt r8 surf with colorado registration. 

The vessel was resting on a large rock that was submerged 10-14 inches under the surface of the water the owner/operator of the vessel, identified, stated that they had left their houseboat in face canyon, 30 minutes prior to striking the rock, for a sunset cruise. He stated that he was turning around to head back to face canyon, traveling approximately 20-30 mph when they hit the rock. He state that there were 7 total passengers onboard and no one was injured. He showed me that the outdrive of his vessel was taken off as a result of hitting the rock but that no other damage was visible at the time.  He also stated that the boat was taking on water. I advise operator to do his best to secure the vessel to the rocks and that it was not going to be pulled from the rock until the following day, 7/16/2023. He and his crew were transported back to their houseboat located inside the mouth of face canyon. On 7/16/2023 at approximately 9:45 am i was notified by him that apex was on scene at his boat and that they were going to tow it back to antelope point marina. He told me that apex was going to assist with loading the vessel onto operators trailer. Once on the trailer he sent me photos of the damage which included he broken and disabled outdrive, a large scratch on the keep, and damage to the starboard rear corner of the vessel closest to the stern.


BARDID: UT-2023-0061
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:22:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: LAKE POWELL
NearestCityTown: WAHWEAP
County: SAN JUAN
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
ON SEPTEMBER 05, 2023, I US PARK RANGER ALONG WITH RANGER WERE DISPATCHED TO NEANDERTHAL COVE ON LAKE POWELL FOR THE REPORT OF A PWC EXPLOSION WITH ONE PERSON HAVING BURN INJURIES. I REQUESTED CLASSIC AIR MEDICAL TO RESPOND. WE DEPARTED WAHWEAP GOVERNMENT DOCK AT 1239 HOURS ENTROUTE TO NEANDERTHAL COVE. CLASSIC AIR MEDICAL ARRIVED ON SCHENE AT APPROXIMATELY 1256 AND LOCATED THE VESSEL TO BEGIN PATIENT CARE. NPS ARRIVED ON SCENE VIA VESSEL AT APPROXIMATELY 1327 HOURS. CLASSIC AIR MEDICAL WAS TAKING OFF WITH PATIENT UPON OUR ARRIVAL. NPS THEN BEGAN THE BOAT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.
TWO WITNESSES NEAR THE VESSEL BOTH STATED THAT THE OWNER OF THE PWC, LATER IDENTIFED 01/23/1979, WAS WORKING ON THE PWC BECAUSE IT WAS NOT STARTING. Operator ATTEMPTED TO START IT MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. WHILE WORKING ON IT, A GASKET IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BURST CAUSING GAS TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. Operator THEN ATTEMPTED TO START THE PWC AGAIN WHEN THE FUMES IGNITED CAUSING AN EXPLOSION.
Operator WAS STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE PWC AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION. Operator WAS BURNED AND INJURED WHICH CAUSED  HIM TO JUMP INTO THE WATER. Operator AS PULLED FROM THE WATER AND BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSEBOAT WHERE HE WAS TREATED BY WITNESSES UNTIL CLASSICS ARRIVAL. Operator SUFFERED 2ND DEGREE BURNS TO 10 PERCENT OF HIS BODY PRIMARILY ON HIS LEFT SIDE. HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO PAGE ER VIA CLASSIC HELICOPTER.


BARDID: UT-2023-0062
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-10 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:30:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: LAKE POWELL
NearestCityTown: PAGE
County: KANE
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 09/12/2023 at approximately 0809 hours, glen canyon dispatch was notified of a non-injury vessel accident in the area of last chance bay within glen canyon national recreation area, wahweap district. At approximately 1115 hours. I officer was notifed by dspatch of the incident and was provided the contact information of the reporting party, later identified. I spoke with operator1 via phone who stated that a collision between his houseboat, dreaming a wake and another vessel had occurred in the area of buoy 25. O1 stated no injuries had occurred and all parties were accounted for. O1 stated he did not wish to interrupt his lake trip further and we agreed that completing a vessel accident report at the conclusion of his trip would work best. I instructed o1 to notify dispatch once again when his vessel returned to the marina to complete a report.
On 09/20/2023 at approximately 0900 hours, i was notified that the other party involved in the collision contacted dispatch reporting the same vessel accident. I was forwarded information via email and later spoke via phone to the reporting pary of the second vessel, identified. O2 stated no injuries had occurred and all parties were accounted for. O2 then described a collision between his ski boat malibu that his houseboat was towing and o1's houseboat dreaming a wake while operating within the channel in the area of buoy 25. O1 provided me with the registration insurance and photos of the damaged malibu as well as photos of o1 dreaming a wake. A case number and request form were provided to o2.
On 09/29/2023 at approximately 1506 hours, i spoke with o1 via phone who provided a similar account of the collision. A case number and foia request form were provided to o1. Neither party claimed responsibility for the collision. And due to the length of time which had passed between the incident and a lack of video evidence, no charges will be filed.


BARDID: UT-2023-0065
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:21:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Utah Lake
NearestCityTown: Springville
County: Utah
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Sudden medical condition
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On October 27, 2023 at around 1430 hours, I was notified by the ISPYMobile App that there was a male beyond help on top of the water suspended by mud.  I called to see if they would require any assistance.  His phone went to voicemail so I began to work my way to our rescue boat.  

SUBJECT called me back and said told me that they were bringing the airboat to the State Park Marina to launch.  I met Subject at the State Park.  I told him I would head out on the Park Rescue boat in case they needed assistance.  I proceeded to the location given by GPS.  The location showed in the Mill Race Sportsman Access near Springville.  As that area is very shallow, I proceeded into the area cautiously.  As I was going in, the air boat passed me.  

Subject made initial contact, and confirmed the individual to be deceased.  I stayed in the area in case the county officers wanted to transport anyone onto our vessel.  Shortly there after I made contact with SUBJECT on the airboat, and they were headed back to the State Park.  I made my way back as well.  After reaching the State Park, I spoke with Subject, and found that the individual had been found in approximately 8 inches of water and was face up and not wearing a PFD.  The initial caller had informed that the motor on the boat had still been running when he had first seen the body.

The vessel was towed into the Mill Race Sportsman Access, and I proceeded there to look the vessel over.  When I arrived I found that vessel had been loaded back onto the trailer.  There was no signs of damage to the vessel.  I found there to be a type IV PFD, a wearable PFD, and current registration stickers displayed on the vessel.  A fire extinguisher could not be found.  I spoke with the County Officer that was doing the death investigation, and found the name of the deceased.  

Victim had last spoken to his wife at 10:00 that morning.  The death was believed to be related to a medical episode, but that results for that would not be back for several weeks.  I gave subject my business card, and asked that he contact me when he found out so that I could update my report.  He indicated that he would.  The County Case number for this incident is 23UC13852.

There was no further incident.


BARDID: UT-2023-0066
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-10-26 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:27:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Powell
NearestCityTown: Bullfrog
County: Kane
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (unknown origin)
RedactedNarrative:
SYNOPSIS: 
On October 26th, 2023, around 19:00 a fire started on a houseboat named "Totally Hooked".  Fire on Totally Hooked was suppressed for about 15 mins until flames started to become larger. Totally Hooked was cleared from the slip by witnesses and towed by Aramark  to the break wall of the marina. The wind shifted Totally Hooked into additional slips. Several House boats  (Cactus Moon, x, Drifter, Powellin Around, Powell N' Around too, ColoRADo,  Red Rock'N, Pirates Paradise, and It's a Powell Day) tied  up to dock caught fire. National Park Service began  fire suppression around 19:52  and continued until extinguished around 22:33 . I (Ranger) was notified of the fire (but unavailable) and responded the next day to Bullfrog to help complete the Boat Accident Report . All boats besides Drifter were a total loss. 

ON SCENE:
Once at the scene of the fire around 1500, I began my Boat Incident Investigation by documenting each boat via photos, locations, and extent of damage to boats/docks. I first took photos of what was believed to be "Pirates Paradise". The vessel was beached across the bay southwest from the marina with a boom kit holding in debris and oil. The vessel was later moved to Bullfrog Bay near North Ramp by Aramark. All boats that were still attached to the dock, besides Drifter, were burnt all to their hulls.

Two boats that were originally tied to the dock sank. An Unnamed Vessel sunk in place. The other vessel that sank is Powellin Around it is believed that this vessel sank just  south of the slip approximately 15 yards away. Both Vessels that have sunk will be recovered by Aramark, photos of the vessel will be added later in a Supplemental. Using my patrol boats down scan function, I was able to mark several anomalies, which I believe to be the two sunken houseboats. After marking the sunken vessels , I began to document a Vessel ID as Totally Hooked that was tied off to F dock. Totally Hooked was partially sunken with only one pontoon hull keeping it afloat. Totally Hooked was a vessel of origin that started in Slip. Totally Hooked was a total loss and will be pulled by Aramark at a later time. 

The remaining vessels, Cactus Moon, Red Rock N', were located north of the Bullfrog North Aux ramp. The two vessels were burnt to the water line and are  total loss. Vessels were secured by anchor lines and boom spill kits to hold in remaining items. SEE PHOTOS ATTACHED

The following day 10/28/23, around 0800 I made contact with the National Park Service and Aramark. I obtained the witness statements, vessel information, and a debrief of the timeline of the incident. With the information provided via cad and witness statements we were able to piece together a better timeline of the incident.

TIMELINE of INCIDENT:
Around 19:00, Totally Hooked was observed by Boat Owners from Dock. According to Witness statements and others not mentioned by name were first on scene that tried to extinguish the fire. SUBJECT1 and SUBJECT2 stated they used the water hose and a couple fire extinguishers. SUBJECT1 stated, "We immediately pulled the power cord, and started spraying water and using multiple extinguishers to put it out. We had the fire out and then it started up again." Initial they stated they had put out the fire and in correlation to CAD that was estimated to be around 19:20 . 

SUBJECT3 stated, "...Assisted them. Ran around the boat looking for occupants. Watched a guy break a couple windows. Tried with him to enter the boat..."  From around 19:20 to 19:28  Totally Hooked was pushed out of the slip. After it was pushed out many accounts stated that an Aramark boat started pushing it towards the tire line/ breakwater. From 19:30 to 19::35 Totally Hooked broke away from the breakwater and with the current wind vessel made contact with A Dock. Totally Hooked then made  contact with Pirates Paradise at the end of A dock. Aramark attempted to disconnect the two vessels but was overcome by heat and smoke from the fire. Around 19:35 it was confirmed that A dock was involved with the fire. 1940 the Bullfrog Marina started to become evacuated. Vessel 290 (Bullfrog Fire Boat) began to suppress the fire around 19:49. The suppression lasted until 22:33 when it was reported extinguished. 

MEDICAL:
There were three patients treated by NPS due to smoke inhalation. 2 were released on scene and the other flown out by ClassicAir around 00:12 .The Individual  who was flown was released that morning.

CONCLUSION:
Through our investigation from videos uploaded to social media, the fire started on the rear port side of the vessel. This would also match the burn marks along the dock. Using vessel schematics of, TOTALLY HOOKED, from previous marine survey done by Advanced Marine Surveys. The area of the initial source of the fire was at the utility closet, located underneath the stairs leading up to the second floor of the houseboat. The utility closet housed the electrical system of the boat. The system ran off two Li3 Lithionics 12v 4S battery. The vessel was also equip with a Surge Guard Power Protection made by Technology Research (TRC). The rest of the electrical was also wired and labeled in the closet. Researching on U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission Indicated that there was no recalls for the Li 3 batteries. With the marine survey that was completed in January 2023 all this information was provided about vessel. The last known party to occupy the vessel was Sunday October 24, 2023. With all the information provided by witnesses, video/social media, the marine survey, and the fire investigators from both the State and Federal investigations the cause of the fire was determined unknown. 

Additional Reports:

The National Park Service and The State of Utah Fire Marshall have conducted investigated reports. NPS is taking the medical report for involved patients. The Fire/Engine reports will be completed by the National Park Service . As each agencies reports are completed, they will be uploaded as supplements to this report.


BARDID: UT-2023-0067
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:12:00
State: UT
NameOfBodyOfWater: LAKE POWELL
NearestCityTown: PAGE
County: Coconino
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Ignition of spilled fuel or vapor
MachineryFailure: Electrical
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
Investigator narrative for Desert Sun houseboat fire at Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA).  Date of the fire was September 13, 2023.  At about 12:10pm while underway on both engines, the Desert Sun houseboat experienced an explosion and fire in or around the engine compartment that resulted in a total loss of the vessel.  There were 29 people aboard the vessel at the time of the fire.  All were able to escape into the water and passing vessels without injuries.  The vessel burned completely and sank to the bottom of Lake Powell.

The Desert Sun was a 2002 model Stardust houseboat, 75 feet long with a beam of 16ft.  The hull, as well as the on-board fuel tanks were constructed of welded aluminum.  The vessel was powered by two MerCruiser 383 stroker engines. Both engines were contained in a shared, closed compartment with separate access hatches.  In between the two engines was the on-board 24 horsepower Westerbeke generator.  Desert Sun was operated out of the Antelope Point Marina and had an active mooring and maintenance contract with the marina. The vessel was owned by Arizona Desert LLC and operated as a time-share amongst the multiple owners. Desert Sun was insured by Markel American Insurance Company, the policy was in effect and in good standing with no recent changes.

The fire resulted in the complete sinking of the remaining aluminum hull therefore, no in-person scene investigation took place.  The responding Law Enforcement Rangers from GLCA gathered written witness statements from the adults on board the vessel at the time of the fire.  The team followed up with interviews of the vessel’s partial owners.  Through witness statements and interviews it was clear that there had been on-going mechanical issues with the starboard engine.  It had intermittent times that the engine would not start.  Owners took the boat out for their week of use in June and had no issues with the starboard engine.  However, subsequent users would use it for a time and then be unable to start it.  This led to the starboard engine not being used for the month leading up to the day of the fire. 

Subject1 was the owner using the vessel on the day of the fire.  He stated that no less than 5 different mechanics from Antelope Point Marina had attempted to fix the starboard engine.  His week of use was coming up and he needed to use both engines because of the amount of weight he would have on the boat and the distance he planned to travel.  He reached out to another maintenance company, Unlimited Houseboat Services (UHS) in order to try a last attempt at fixing the troublesome engine.  That morning, a mechanic from UHS identified that the timing was off.  He replaced the spark plugs and adjusted the timing.  The starboard engine started and was run for approximately 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure it was operating properly.  The owner and mechanic were satisfied that the engine was running properly and the vessel left the dock.  The team made numerous attempts to contact and interview the mechanic that worked on the boat the morning of the incident but were unable to make contact.  Boat owners were able to provide some, not all, of the repair invoices from the last year but none from the month previous to the incident.

The vessel was underway on both engines, with the bilge pump running and the generator secured. Approximately 45 minutes after leaving the dock, Operator noticed the starboard engine RPMs began to drop despite the throttle placement.  As he began to investigate if there was an issue, he decided to shut down the engine but before he could, a very loud explosion occurred at the rear of the boat.  Instantly several passengers recognized 5-foot flames at the rear of the boat, yelling “fire!”  The boat’s occupants began to evacuate and all made it into the water or good Samaritan boats without injury.

The vessel’s fuel tank was full of 200 gallons of fuel when it left the dock.  There was also an auxiliary tank on the rear deck with approximately 150 gallons of fuel. Based upon the information provided and gathered, it is consistent with a fire where there was a buildup of flammable fluids and/or gases in the engine compartment.  This buildup was able to overcome the natural ventilation provided and got the explosive range and was possibly ignited by either one of the running engines or the running bilge pump.  There’s no way to survey the hull to be certain.  This ignition likely spread to the auxiliary tank and free burning gasoline spread the fire quickly throughout the vessel.  Based on a reasonable degree of investigative certainty, the fire is ruled as accidental pending any additional information that may determine otherwise.


BARDID: VA-2023-0001
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-01-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Anthony Ford Boat Ramp
County: Pittsylvania
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Boat with two occupants was traveling north in a cove near Anthony Ford Boat Ramp on Smith Mountain Lake. Boat made a sharp turn and flipped several times. The two occupants climbed on top of the flipped boat. Witnesses told the two occupants to stay on the boat. Occupant 1 jumped into the water and started swimming. A few seconds later occupant 2 jumped into the water. Occupant 2 needed help, occupant 1 turned around and swam back to occupant 2. When occupant 1 arrived at occupant 2, both occupants went under water and never resurfaced. Officers unable to determine which occupant was operating vessel. Officers unable to determine which occupant was operating vessel.


BARDID: VA-2023-0002
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-03-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:02:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Rappahannock River
NearestCityTown: Tappahannock
County: Essex
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Weather
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
The victim's great grandson went out into the Rappahannock River in a kayak. The victim went with his grandson in a canoe. The tide and wind were pushing both vessels further away from shore and up the river. The victim's grandson returned to shore to get help for his grandfather. At some point the canoe capsized and the grandfather was in the water. The victim's granddaughter went out into the river in another kayak to help her grandfather. The victim was conscious and speaking to his granddaughter while holding onto the kayak. The victim told his granddaughter he was cold and she could hear his teeth chattering. While she was trying to paddle back to shore the victim got quiet and let go of the kayak. The granddaughter paddled back to her grandfather and held onto his personal flotation device to keep his face out of the water until help arrived. Victim received CPR and was transported to Tappahannock  Hospital where he was pronounced dead. It is believed the victims heart stopped due to the cold.


BARDID: VA-2023-0003
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-03-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 02:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Blackwater River
NearestCityTown: Hampton, Wallaces
County: Hampton
WaterConditions: Rough
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
While attempting to re-fuel, the victim was injured on his left side. He was tossed around the cabin area due to rough seas.


BARDID: VA-2023-0004
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-01 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:37:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Chesapeake Bay
NearestCityTown: Reedville, VA/Shell Landing
County: Northumberland
WaterConditions: Rough
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Overloading
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Falls overboard
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel was transiting from Virginia Beach to NJ with 8 people onboard and began taking on water near buy 62 in the Chesapeake Bay. The vessel sank in approximately 15 minutes causing all eight individuals to enter the water. A crewmember witnessed water entering the engine room between the engines.


BARDID: VA-2023-0005
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Moneta Anthony Ford
County: Bedford
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
The operator was returning back to his dock after fishing and struck channel marker #6 breaking the pole near the base.


BARDID: VA-2023-0006
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-23 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:20:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Carter Creek
NearestCityTown: Irvington, VA - Gaskins Landin
County: Lancaster County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent3: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was backing out of it's slip when the starboard quarter struck vessel 2's motor. Vessel 1 then abruptly changed direction, striking a pier and running aground on the shoreline riprap.


BARDID: VA-2023-0007
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:12:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: James River
NearestCityTown: Richmond City
County: Richmond City
WaterConditions: Unknown
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On Tuesday May 2, 2023 at 1512 hours, a water rescue call was dispatched for an overturned raft in the James River. RPD (Richmond Police Dept.) and RFD (Richmond Fire Dept.) Water Rescue units responded to the rapids in the James River between Hollywood Cemetery and Belle Isle (Hollywood Rapids). One of a group of 4 rafters was caught in debris. Subject1 was extracted and taken to VCU Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased at 1618 hours by Dr..

The raft got off line, too far to the right, as they navigated through the rapids. The raft overturned when it hit a log throwing two people from the raft. Subject2 flowed downriver to the right while Subject1 went to the left. The group lost sight of Subject1 and subject called 911. They said that River Rescue responded quickly. Subject1 was located stuck in logs/debris and extracted. They estimated that Subject1 was under for more than 30 minutes. They stated that everyone in the group was wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) and helmets. RFD confirmed that Subject1 had on a PFD. RFD personnel advised that the James River was at 9 ½ feet at the time of the incident.


BARDID: VA-2023-0008
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Chesapeake Bay/Dymer Creek
NearestCityTown: Kilmarnock/Chesapeake Boat Bas
County: Lancaster/Kilarnock
WaterConditions: Rough
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
(operator of the sailing vessel) was checking his paper charts to see how to get into indian creek and realized that he was headed into Dymer Creek. He went to turn his sailing vessel around and the waves push him into the lighted green marker number seven and his mast and rigging got hung up on the marker. O1 was not injured but he did bend the mast on the vessel.


BARDID: VA-2023-0009
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-04-28 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 09:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Private Pond
NearestCityTown: Amherst/private ramp
County: Amherst County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Falls overboard
RedactedNarrative:
On the morning of April 28, 2023 operator noticed that his lake was overflowing and he could not see the drain. Thinking that the drain might be clogged, he decided to get on his canoe and try to unclog it. His wife, watched him as he went onto the lake. She stated that when he was near the drain, his canoe flipped over and he went underwater briefly. She stated that she then saw him come back up and swim to shore. She got on her kayak and paddled out to him. He stated that he could barely breathe and that his body hurt when she tried to move him. She then got back to their house, called EMS, and went back over. EMS arrived and transported him to Lynchburg General Hospital. He went to the ER and then was transferred to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He was diagnosed with fractured ribs, was held overnights, and then released the next day.


BARDID: VA-2023-0010
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 10:34:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Western Branch Reservior
NearestCityTown: Suffolk/Western Branch
County: Suffolk City
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Capsizing
AccidentEvent3: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
While attempting to return to the boat ramp from fishing at the Western Branch Reservoir, the victims took a route around an island to avoid shallow waters, when they hit a submerged stump and the boat capsized which resulted in the operator being thrown from the boat and the passengers were forced into the water as the boat was sinking.  

The boat was damaged "beyond repair" and the victims were assisted by another boater who had heard the incident occur and a nearby kayaker.  The assisting jon boat operator took the grandson of the victims onboard their vessel and threw a line to both the passenger and operator while they attempted to maneuver the damaged vessel to shallower waters.  Both the kayaker and the jon boat operator assisted in retrieving as much gear as possible as the victim/operator de-watered and righted his vessel.  Suffolk Fire and Rescue then arrived on scene and towed the boat to the boat ramp.


BARDID: VA-2023-0011
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-06 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:29:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Claytor Lake
NearestCityTown: Pulaski, VA/Rock House Marina
County: Pulaski County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent3: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
The operator of Vessel 1 placed the vessel in reverse to exit the dock at a speed greater than his ability allowed. Due to the speed, the operator over corrected his vessel causing the port stern to collide with a slip, jarring it loose. The operator then placed the vessel in forward, at a speed greater than that required to maintain steerage and headway, causing him to collide with the starboard side of Vessel 4. After the collision with Vessel 4, the starboard stern of Vessel 1 collided with the stern of Vessels 2 and 3. Additionally, the impact with Vessel 4 cause a chain reaction collision with Vessel 5. Vessel 5 struck a floating slip on its port side forcing the slip into the starboard side of Vessel 6. 
Vessel 1 sustained damage to the bow and starboard sides. Vessels 2 and 3 sustained damage to the stern. Vessel 4 sustained significant damage to the starboard stern and port sides. Vessel 5 sustained damage to boat the port and starboard side. Vessel 6 sustained damage to the starboard side.


BARDID: VA-2023-0012
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: Dukes Creek Marina
County: Spotsylvania County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Inadequate onboard navigation lights
AccidentEvent1: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
A boat was returning to dock at approximately 40 MPH near a the center of the cove when the bow port side struck the starboard middle to front section of a kayaker out in the water after sunset. The kayaker was determined to not have navigational lights displayed and sustained injury to the right side of his face and orbital area, along with contusions and abrasions on his right upper shoulder and arm. Victim self transported for injury beyond first aid.


BARDID: VA-2023-0013
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Blackwater River
NearestCityTown: Barrett Landing Franklin VA
County: Franklin City
WaterConditions: Calm
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
On 6/11/23, O1 was operating a PWC on the Blackwater River. O1 was headed up river toward Barretts Landing when he struck a submerged log.  The log caused damage to the hull causing water to enter the hull and the vessel had to be towed to the dock.


BARDID: VA-2023-0014
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Mitchells Marina
County: Bedford County
WaterConditions: Unknown
Wind: Unknown
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
Hit and run boat accident that occurred between 5/9/2023-5/14/2023, appeared to be 1 vessel vs dock. Dock had a support beam bent and there was splintered wood on right side walkway (facing dock from water).


BARDID: VA-2023-0015
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:45:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Private Pond
NearestCityTown: Goochland/Westview
County: Goochland County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Unknown
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Old Towne Discovery 158 occupied 2x was heading to shore when vessel capsized. Occupants began swimming to shore. Victim called out to second occupant complaining of arm pain. Second occupant pulled victim up, let go and began swimming to shore. When second occupant reached shore, the victim was no longer swimming or visible.


BARDID: VA-2023-0016
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-05-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:46:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Gills Creek Marina
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 5/19/2023, I responded to a hit and run incident on Smith Mountain Lake. The complainant (Operator 1) stated he was traveling near marker G1 and was returning to Gills Creek Marina. Boat 1 saw Boat 2 which appeared to be traveling towards the right of their vessel. Boat 2 made a sharp right turn in front of Boat 1 and struck the port side of Boat 1's bow. The collision knocked the two occupants in Boat 1 into the water, which activated both life jackets. When the Operator of Boat 1 was ejected from the vessel, the vessels kill switch was activated, stopping the vessel. Both occupants were able to get back into Boat 1, while Boat 2 left the scene. No injuries occurred on Boat 1.


BARDID: VA-2023-0017
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Huddleston, VA
County: Bedford County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Injured 1 was operating a PWC on Smith Mountain Lake when he struck a wake that caused the PWC to come to a sudden stop. Injured 1 was propelled over the handlebars of the PWC, striking his face on the upper cowling of the PWC.


BARDID: VA-2023-0018
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: James River
NearestCityTown: Watkins
County: Goochland County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Two vessels were traveling east on the James River near the Route 288 bridge. The Jet Ski started turning to go west when he saw the other boat he cut power, lost steering and crashed into the port side of the other vessel.


BARDID: VA-2023-0019
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-19 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:43:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lynnhaven Inlet
NearestCityTown: Crab Creek Boat Ramp, VA Beach
County: Virginia Beach
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel operated by O1 struck a dock at Restaurant causing significant damage to the deck boards and pilings. Three individuals were on the deck at he time, but no injuries were reported, nor did anyone end up in the water. O1 Left the scene without assessing injury/damage or rendering aid. Case cleared by arrest.


BARDID: VA-2023-0020
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: James River
NearestCityTown: Osborne Boat Ramp, Henrico Co.
County: Chesterfield County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator of PWC ran into the starboard side of an adrift runabout resulting in the injury of the PWC operator.


BARDID: VA-2023-0021
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-24 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 16:59:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Linkhorn Bay
NearestCityTown: First Landing State Park
County: Virginia Beach
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Passenger, was sitting on the bow (bow riding). His girlfriend walked forward to sit with him. While Getting into the seated position on the bow, she slipped and fell off the bow and into the water. He jumped off the bow and into the water in an attempt to save her. Both victims floated underneath the pontoon boat between he pontoons and were struck by the propeller. The vessel was traveling at 6 mph in a no wake zone at the Cavalier Yacht Club. Operator, stated that the engine was in gear because it happened so quickly. Both victims had multiple lacerations from the propeller. Both were transported to Virginia Beach General Hospital for treatment and released. The vessel was rented.


BARDID: VA-2023-0022
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Moneta, VA / Bayside Marina
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
AccidentEvent3: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On 7/2/2023, Officer and I responded to a possible boat incident on Smith Mountain Lake in Franklin County in Betty's Creek. Boat 1 was traveling in the cove with three occupants in the vessel, towing two occupant's on an inflatable tube, and three occupant's on an additional inflatable tube. 

Boat 1 traveled around a corner where Boat 2 was located. The operator of Boat 2 saw Boat 1 traveling in their general direction. Boat 2 turned slightly right to allow Boat 1 to overtake Boat 2. The operator of Boat 2 noticed Boat 1 was still traveling in their general direction and began waving towards Boat 1 to get their attention. Boat 1 turned left causing two tubers on Boat 1 to collide with Boat 2 and Boat 2's tuber.


BARDID: VA-2023-0024
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: Sturgeon Creek Marina
County: Spotsylvania County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
One jet ski was riding towards another turning at the last second causing the back end of the first jet ski to rise up and and come down on the rear of the second jet ski scraping the skin off of the foot of the 12yo passenger and tearing the seat and cracking the fiberglass of the gunwale on the second jet ski.


BARDID: VA-2023-0025
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-29 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 00:05:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: 16201 Hickory Cut Ln
County: Spotsylvania County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Inadequate onboard navigation lights
AccidentCause3: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 (PWC) and Vessel 2 (PWC) were operating after hours on Lake.  The crash occurred between 00:00 and 00:30 hours per the operators.   

Vessel 1 (striking vessel) was operating above no wake speed.  The operator reports not seeing or hearing Vessel 2 until a "blob" appeared in the darkness. Operator of Vessel 2 attempted to take corrective action by steering to the left and accelerating to make the PWC turn sharp.  Operator of Vessel 2 advised his passenger to jump off prior to impact with Vessel 1 and then jumped off at time of impact. 

Vessel 2 was sitting stationary with engine off looking up at moon in night sky.  Operator of Vessel 2 stated Vessel 1 came from his starboard side (right side) referring to its speed as "a little hot" as it approached.  Operator of Vessel 2 stated the incident occurred quickly and without warning. Vessel 1 struck Vessel 2 on its starboard side causing passenger of Vessel 2 to fall off into the water.  Operator of Vessel 2 assisted his passenger on board and they assessed for injury.  They then returned to dock for emergency care and assistance. 

Vessel 1 Operator collected his PWC and passenger and returned to the dock. No injury was reported to either individual.


BARDID: VA-2023-0026
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Elizabeth River
NearestCityTown: Portsomouth Tidewater Yacht Ag
County: Norfolk City
WaterConditions: Rough
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Strong
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Improper anchoring
AccidentCause2: Weather
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Both Vessels were unoccupied and anchored at above location when vessel #1 anchor failed during an afternoon storm. Vessel #1 was pushed into vessel #2 by the wind causing damage to numerous spots on the hull of vessel #2. Estimated damage at $2500.


BARDID: VA-2023-0027
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-06-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Sunset Creek
NearestCityTown: Sunset Creek Boat Ramp
County: Hampton City
WaterConditions: Unknown
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On June 27, 2023 at around 14:00 individual 1 received a call from the Safe Harbor Bluewater Marina manager located at 15 Marina Rd in Hampton, Virginia in reference to Individual 2 and my boat being damaged by a watercraft owned by the Freedom Boat Club. The vessel is a a 21 Boston Whaler with twin 300HP. He was told that the boat was struck in the rear and made contact with both engines with visible damage, while it was on its assigned lift. At around 1600 hours , he went to see the boat damage, and met with the general manager of Freedom Boat Club. She advised him that one of her members had lost control of their vessel, a 2022 Cobia 237 center console. She also put him in touch with another manager. He advised him that a claim would be filed and provided his company insurance information. Global Marine Insurance Policy Number.

On June 28, they contacted Geico, his insurance company, to report the incident. They advised me to contact the local police department in order to get a police report. They called Hampton police division, nonemergency number several times, and when he was called back, he was told that this was not their jurisdiction and to contact the conservation police as this was an on water accident. DWR was notified on July 3rd 2023.


BARDID: VA-2023-0028
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-04 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:20:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Chesapeake Bay
County: Northhampton County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On Tuesday July 4, 2023 at approximately 2220 hours VESSEL , O1, was underway on the Chesapeake Bay, outside the public beach area of Cape Charles, Virginia.  As VESSEL 1 was traversing the waterway, toward the main channel west of the harbor, VESSEL 1 impacted the rock jetty that extends from the public beach at Cape Charles.  VESSEL 1 impacted the jetty causing the occupants on board to be knocked around in the boat, resulting in minor injuries.  There was notable damage to the bow and port side of Vessel 1.  Vessel 1 was operated by (Operator 1) at the time of the incident.  See the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Conservation Police report for further information.


BARDID: VA-2023-0029
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:48:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Huddleston and Anthony Ford Bo
County: Bedford County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
RedactedNarrative:
V1 left marina traveling west toward main channel. After exiting no wake zone, V1 struck V2 causing injuries to the victims right thigh, ribs, and right hand.


BARDID: VA-2023-0030
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Potomac River
NearestCityTown: Leesylvania State Park
County: Leesylvania State Park
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel struck rough surfaces on boat ramp #2 dock, scuffs and deep scratch to fiberglass hull one gouge exposing fiberglass fibers.


BARDID: VA-2023-0031
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:44:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: Mineral
County: Lousia County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Person departed vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Boat was floating (underway) when injured person attempted to board the boat near the motor. Injured person sustained lacerations to both legs from propeller. Injured person was flown to UVA for medical evaluation.


BARDID: VA-2023-0033
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:10:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Chesapeake Bay - Ocean View
NearestCityTown: Willoughby Public Ramp
County: Norfolk
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Hull failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
On 20 JUL 2023, at approximately 2100, Operator was transiting back to Wiloughby Boat Ramp when his PWC starting having engine problems and shut down. When he opened the seat, to check the engine compartment, he observed it was filling up with seawater. The vessel was approximately 500 yards off the beach when water covered the and partially sank. He left the vessel and swam to shore.


BARDID: VA-2023-0034
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: West Neck Creek
NearestCityTown: 1189 Swallow DR VA Beach VA 23
County: Virginia Beach VA
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Thursday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentCause2: Alcohol
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Victim was the sole occupant and operator of a 2022 Sea Doo just ski that was involved in a collision with an embankment. Operator sustained a head injury and was transported to the hospital ER for treatment. ETOH was detected around him (admitted to 2 beers) but he refused a IV/Bloodwork treatment in the ER.


BARDID: VA-2023-0035
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-22 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 05:15:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Bugs Island Lake
NearestCityTown: Clarksville/Occoneechee State
County: Mecklenburg County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Boat #1 was traveling down lake, in the dark, when it struck a water intake pump station, square on.  The passenger and operator were both injured.


BARDID: VA-2023-0036
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-26 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:10:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Elizabeth River
NearestCityTown: Norfolk Yacht Ramp
County: Norfolk
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was operating a vessel #1 north bound on the Elizabeth River, near Scotts Creek, at a high rate of speed. Operator passed a south bound vessel that was producing a substantial wake and she did not slacken her speed. She was dislodged from her vessel striking the superstructure. She was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for testing and diagnosis.


BARDID: VA-2023-0037
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:45:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: York River
NearestCityTown: Gloucester Point Boat Ramp
County: Gloucester
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Sharp turn
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Person struck by vessel
AccidentEvent3: Person struck by propeller
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
At approximately 1445 hrs vessel one and two were operating on parallel courses with vessel two overtaking. 

Vessel two made a sudden starboard turn in front of vessel one. This caused vessel two to impede the starboard bow of vessel one with the starboard bow of vessel two. 

Vessel one ran over vessel two and the operator. It is unable to be determined whether the jetski operator was wearing his safety lanyard due to it not being found on him or the PWC, along with lack of witnesses.


BARDID: VA-2023-0038
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-31 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:15:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Bedford VA/Moormans Marina
County: Bedford County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
RedactedNarrative:
BOAT 1 OPERATOR NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE CUP HOLDERS OF THE VESSEL AT APPROXIMATELY 12:15 HOURS. BOAT 1 OPERATOR THEN STOPPED THE VESSEL, OPENED THE STERN SEAT, AND PUT THE ACTIVE FIRE OUT WITH THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER THAT WAS ON BOARD.


BARDID: VA-2023-0039
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-12 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Magnum Point Marina
County: Frankllin County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Excessive speed
AccidentCause2: Improper lookout
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Boat 1 backed into the stern of Boat 2 while attempting to leave Magnum Point Marina. Boat 1 did not sustain any damage due to the impact, but Boat 2 showed damage to both engines on the stern of the boat as well as scratches to the starboard, stern side. There were no injuries resulting from the incident.


BARDID: VA-2023-0040
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-20 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:45:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Philpott Lake
NearestCityTown: Horshoe Boat Ramp
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was operating the vessel and they had been towing individuals. They stopped the boat to get both out of the water.  Operator thought he had placed the vessel in neutral but noticed the vessel was drifting backward toward them. Operator jumped into the water to get injured away from the motor's propeller, but she was entangled in the propeller.  The victim was medflighted to Roanoke Memorial for propeller strikes to both legs.


BARDID: VA-2023-0041
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: South Holston Lake
NearestCityTown: Sportsmans Marina
County: Washington County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was tied off at Sportsman's parallel to the dock.  Vessel 1 was unoccupied at the time of incident.   Unknown Vessel 2 parked behind vessel 1.  Unknown Vessel 2 attempted to pull away from dock and struck the outboard of vessel 1 damaging the cowling of the outboard.  Owner of vessel one states there did not appear to be negligent behavior displayed by driver of vessel 2.


BARDID: VA-2023-0042
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: Christopher Run
County: Lousia County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Throttle
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
RedactedNarrative:
Operator said he was coming in to the cove at Camp Ground when the throttle on his vessel got stuck. He said the vessel was moving at about 20 mph and he decided to beach the vessel on the shore across from the camp ground. The call came in at 11:14 8/26/2023 and we arrived on scene at around 11:36. The boat was beached with damage to front starboard side and front and rear port side. There was a hole on the back side of the pontoon on port side.


BARDID: VA-2023-0043
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 20:23:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Anna
NearestCityTown: Dukes Creek Marina
County: Lousia County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was fishing stationary with the required navigation lights on after sunset. While vessel 1 is stationary, vessel 2 is said to have left an area close by them and proceeded through the water without navigation lights displayed. The vessel continued at plane speed until it struck vessel 1, at which time vessel 2 continued away from the area without stopping to render assistance.  During the investigation, no information was able to be collected for vessel #2 


Damage to vessel 1 appears to be greater than $2,000. Insurance estimate will determine exact amount.


BARDID: VA-2023-0044
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:10:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Jones Creek
NearestCityTown: Smithfiled City Ramp
County: Isle of Wight
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Ignition of spilled fuel or vapor
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
AccidentEvent2: Person departed vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator Stated that he was sailing his vessel towards Jones Creek when he heard a popping sound. When he looked in the cabin observed that a 12 volt power supply had caught fire. The fire quickly spread to fuel tank and he abandoned the vessel. He was picked up by a good samaritan and Isle of Wight fire extinguished the fire. The vessel was a total loss.


BARDID: VA-2023-0045
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:15:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Chesdin
NearestCityTown: LAke Chesdin Boat Ramp
County: Dinwiddie County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Engine
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
RedactedNarrative:
Operator was testing out pwc after being in the shop.  PWC motor overheated, causing motor to stall out.  Overheating of motor burnt half dollar size hole into exhaust hose allowing water to rush into engine compartment, causing pwc to capsize.  Operator then swam pwc to nearby shoreline.


BARDID: VA-2023-0046
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-01 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: James River
NearestCityTown: Dutch Gap Boat Ramp
County: Chesterfield
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
MachineryFailure: Throttle
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel 1 was traveling at approximately 20-25 mph through the old bridge near Dutch Gap boat ramp while towing a broken down jet ski on a 50' line.  The operator attempted to turn for the curve in the river.  The vessel started to turn, but then continued in a straight line.  The operator attempted to throttle down, but the throttle control was stuck.  The operator yelled at the occupants to, "Hit the deck."  All occupants exempt for the operator (injured 1) and co-captain (injured 2) got in the floor of the vessel.  The vessel struck a large tree on the bank.


BARDID: VA-2023-0047
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:40:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: South Holston Lake
NearestCityTown: Washington County Park
County: Washington County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Machinery failure
AccidentCause2: Ignition of spilled fuel or vapor
MachineryFailure: Fuel
AccidentEvent1: Fire/explosion (fuel)
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent3: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
A few moments after starting the engine the operator stated he heard a loud pop, observed debris under his feet, and found smoke coming from the engine compartment. The operator jumped overboard and swam to shore as the boat caught fire. Per the vessel owner the boat was engulfed in flames prior to Green Spring Fire Department arriving. The Fire Department was able to extinguish the fire at approximately 1545 hours. After speaking with owner it was found that the primary fuel tank was in non serviceable condition and had recently been filled with fuel at Sportsman's Marina. It was believed that gasoline fumes accumulated in the engine compartment and ignited shortly after the engine was started. 

At approximately 1815 hours the vessel caught fire for a second time and was fully engulfed in flames. Green Springs Fire Department arrived on scene a short time later and extinguished the flames. In an attempt to remove the vessel form the waterway, it sank to the bottom.


BARDID: VA-2023-0048
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-25 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 05:15:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Union Hall, VA, Gills Creek Ma
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator of boat 1 was traveling east on the blackwater water river in Smith Mountain Lake near B25. Operator 1 was searching for a friend that had not returned home and was unable to be reach by cell phone. Operator 1 looked down at his navigation unit, when he looked back up he observed a dock and attempted to miss the dock. Operator 1 struck a wooden dock piling with the driver side of his pontoon and caused damage to the piling and the vessel motor on the slip at the residence. Operator 1 stated he was traveling about 14 mph.


BARDID: VA-2023-0049
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-30 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Assateague Channel
NearestCityTown: Chincoteague
County: Accomack County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Unseen water hazard
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
AccidentEvent2: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel was underway and making way when it collided with an oyster rock at which time the victim was thrown onto the deck and sustained injuries to her ribs. Victim was then dropped off at a private dock after the crash, and returned home for the night. Victim was taken to Riverside Shore Memorial Emergency Dept. on 7/31 where she was diagnosed with two fractured ribs and a moderate left pneumothorax


BARDID: VA-2023-0050
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 08:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Rocky Mount, Penhook Boat Ramp
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: Other
OtherAccidentCause: Passenger/skier behavior
AccidentEvent1: Skier mishap
RedactedNarrative:
On 8/11/23, Injured 1 was being towed by operator using two skies. Injured 1 decided to switch to using only one ski. As the boat began to move and the pull Injured 1 up out of the water, Injured 1 felt something pop and experienced pain in his upper thigh. Injured 1 was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.


BARDID: VA-2023-0051
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 11:49:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Bridgewater Marina
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Victims boat was docked in a slip when several vessels rammed into the back of the motor and transom of the docked vessel.


BARDID: VA-2023-0052
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: James River
NearestCityTown: Dutch Gap
County: Chesterfield County
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Moderate
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Overloading
AccidentCause2: Operator inexperience
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
AccidentEvent3: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
Operator of 14 jon boat loaded with eight individuals was attempting to return to the boat ramp when the vessel was swamped resulting in the boat sinking. The outboard was still in gear and subsequently struck one of the passengers upper arm causing a wound that required medical treatment at the hospital.


BARDID: VA-2023-0053
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-09 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 15:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Elizabeth River
NearestCityTown: Elizibeth River Park Ramp
County: Chesapeake City
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentCause3: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
The victim's boat was underway on the Elizabeth River, just past the Gilmerton Bridge, where the channel takes a hard right in a blind corner.  

The victim's boat was close to the green channel marker (as he should have been), when the subject's boat came around the corner on the incorrect side, coming at the victim's boat head on.  

The subject never corrected his course as the navigation rules dictate and the victim was forced to make evasive turn to the port side, as the shoreline prevented him from moving toward starboard side. 

Two victims in the victim's boat were injured - one had bruises on her arm and near ribs, another had a knee injury that required medical attention beyond basic first aid - when the victim's boat made the sharp turn to port.


BARDID: VA-2023-0054
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-08-06 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 12:00:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: New River
NearestCityTown: Pembroke Boat Ramp
County: Giles County
WaterConditions: Unknown
StrongCurrent: Y
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Improper anchoring
AccidentCause2: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Flooding/swamping
AccidentEvent2: Sinking
RedactedNarrative:
The complete loss of the vessel took place on August 5, 2023, Operator and Grandson were floating from Eggleston to Pembroke on the New River in Giles County. Operator boat was a 2000 11' 2" Coleman Crawdad with an electric Motor. As they were coming down the last set of falls before the Pembroke Boat Ramp the drag from the motor got caught in the shallow water and the swift-moving water took the stern of the boat down and started to fill up with water and sunk. Operator and his grandson swam to the shoreline. Operator two brothers picked them up on their boat. Operator boat turned upside down and the anchor that was attached to the boat fell out and was stuck to the bottom of the river. Operator stated the water was too swift to retrieve the boat at that time. Operator went back on August 6, 2023, to retrieve the vessel. Operator was not able to break the anchor or boat free. They decided to come back at a later date when the water was lower. On August 20, 2023, Operator went back to the area to retrieve his boat and it was not there. Operator stated either the anchor rope finally broke or someone cut it and took the boat.


BARDID: VA-2023-0055
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-09-16 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 22:17:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Smith Mountain Lake
NearestCityTown: Smith Mountain Lake State PArk
County: Franklin County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Grounding
CoordinatesConfidence: C
RedactedNarrative:
Boat 1 was traveling on Smith Mountain Lake in the area of R11 after dark, when they ran through a large amount of fallen trees that were on the shoreline. There was damage to the tree line for approximately 25 yards leading up to where the boat came to rest, suggesting that the boat went through 25 yards of fallen trees before stopping. 

There were two large trees on top of the boat when it came to a stop. Operator 1 was pinned underneath the tree and died from injuries at the time of the incident. Passenger 1 suffered minor cuts and bruises, but was transferred to Franklin Memorial Hospital to be treated for injuries. There was alcohol on the boat but alcohol has not yet been determined as a factor in the boat accident.


BARDID: VA-2023-0056
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-10 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 14:30:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Mill Creek
NearestCityTown: Reedvile/Cranes Creek Landing
County: Northumberland County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Tuesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause3: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with fixed object
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
RedactedNarrative:
While underway, making way, operator and sole passenger turned aft to look for clothing item that blew overboard. When they turned around it was realized that the vessel was going to strike a dock. The operator took evasive action, turning the vessel starboard. The vessel then side-swiped the dock on its port side, rolling the vessel and ejecting both occupants.


BARDID: VA-2023-0057
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-10-27 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:20:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Rappahannock River
NearestCityTown: King GeorgBerry Plains Landing
County: King George County
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Friday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentEvent1: Falls overboard
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
Operator of bass boat was attempting to overtake vessel 200 yards up river.  

Operator attempted to cross over wake, and during that the victim, who was sitting on a camping chair in the bow of the boat, fell overboard.  

Operator and second passenger recovered victim after he swam back to the boat.  Despite being able to board into the boat, the victim soon became unresponsive and operator beached the boat at a private ramp nearby.  

Operator, second passenger, and bystanders performed lifesaving measures until EMS arrived.  Victim was taken via ambulance to nearby hospital where he was pronounced deceased.


BARDID: VA-2023-0058
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-11-11 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 17:45:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Warwick River
NearestCityTown: Newport News/Menchville Ramp
County: Newport News
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Light
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
Vessel one struck vessel two on its port side amidship. Vessel two sunk near marker Red #8. Both vessels were underway. Vessel one did not observe vessel two until both were in close proximity. Vessel one attempted to turn to port and reduce throttle then struck vessel two.


BARDID: VA-2023-0059
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-11-18 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 06:40:00
State: VA
NameOfBodyOfWater: Gordon's Creek
NearestCityTown: Williamsburg/Chickahominy Rive
County: James City County
WaterConditions: Unknown
StrongCurrent: Y
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: Navigation rules violation
AccidentCause2: Excessive speed
AccidentCause3: Improper lookout
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
During pre-tournament activities, boat number 2 struck boat number 1.  Boat number 2's bow made contact with the port side gunwhale of boat number 1 approximately 3 feet behind the passenger seat.  Boat number 1 had a small area, approximately 1 inch by 2 inches, that the gel coat was chipped from the fiberglass.


BARDID: VT-2023-0001
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-08 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 18:51:00
State: VT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Champlain
NearestCityTown: Colchester
County: Chittenden
WaterConditions: Choppy
Wind: Light
Visibility: Good
DayofWeek: Saturday
AccidentCause1: People on gunwale, bow, or transom
AccidentCause2: Force of wake/wave
AccidentEvent1: Fall in vessel
RedactedNarrative:
Operator advised he was navigating southeast off the east side of Marble Island.  He advised that Subject1 was partially laying down across the seats in the bow of the boat.  Operator advised he did not see a very large wake from an unknown large boat that had passed the area until he was next to it.  He advised his boat hit the wake and Subject1 became airborne.  When Subject1 landed on the bow of the boat, the right side of the back of her neck struck a handle on the port side of the bow.  Subject1 advised she lost feeling in her right shoulder, arm and hand.

Subject1 was transported to the medical center via Colchester Rescue.  On July 10, 2023, Cpl. spoke with Operator.  He advised that Subject1 regained feeling in her right side and was diagnosed with a concussion to her head and the back right side of her neck.  He advised there were no broken bones and she had been released from the hospital.


BARDID: VT-2023-0002
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-08-13 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 19:57:00
State: VT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Champlain
NearestCityTown: Panton
County: Addison
WaterConditions: Choppy
HazardousWaters: Y
Wind: Unknown
Visibility: Fair
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Alcohol
AccidentCause2: Restricted vision
AccidentCause3: Hazardous waters
AccidentEvent1: Person struck by propeller
RedactedNarrative:
On 08/13/2023 at approximately 1957 hours, I was dispatched to a report of an injured female located at 1355 Adams Ferry Road in the Town of Panton. Dispatch advised the female had a seven-inch laceration, broken arm, and was going to be air lifted to the University of Vermont Medical Center. A Vergennes rescue member on scene told me the injured female had seven to eight lacerations running along her left arm and torso. Subject also advised the females arm was broken in multiple locations.

	I arrived at the Arnold Bay boat launch at approximately 2012 hours and spoke with the operator of the vessel that had struck the injured female. The operator told me he was operating the Stingray SVB165 bearing Vermont registration on Arnold Bay with two passengers on board. Operator1 told me he was traveling towards the Arnold Bay boat ramp to drop off Occupant1 after being in the middle of Arnold Bay with two other boats. Operator1 said while he was underway, he noticed one person swimming in the water and offered to give him a ride. Operator1 advised Swimmer declined, so he continued on briefly, before realizing he struck another person in the water. Operator1 told me he turned around and picked up Victim before bringing her back to the boat ramp. 

	While speaking with Operator1, I noticed his speech was slurred and his eyes were constricted, bloodshot, and watery. I could also smell the faint odor of intoxicants emanating from his person.
I subsequently asked Operator1 to undergo dexterity testing. Operator1 obliged. I asked Operator1 to take a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) to which he obliged. At 2046 hours, Operator1’s BAC was measured at a .05%.

	I spoke with, a witness to the incident. Witness1 told me there were three boats tied together in the center of Arnold Bay. Witness1 told me he helped untie the Stingray SVB165 from the pontoon boat he was on. Witness1 said he observed Operator1 operating the Stingray SVB165 with Occupant1 in the passenger seat and Occupant2 in the front. Witness1 advised he heard a weird noise and observed something floating in the water. Witness1 said he jumped into the water and began swimming towards Victim, who was floating in the water. Witness1 told me Operator1 noticed him jump off the pontoon boat and shortly after, redirected the Stingray SVB165 towards himself and Victim. Witness1 advised Swimmer arrived at his location at the same time as the Stingray SVB165 and helped get Victim on the boat. Witness1 said the boat continued on towards the Arnold Bay boat launch after Victim was put on the vessel.

	I spoke with a second witness to the incident. Witness2 told me he was on the “tiki” boat in Arnold Bay when he heard a splash in the water. When he turned to look, he saw Victim floating in the water and Witness1 had jumped into the water, swimming towards her. Witness2 saw the Stingray SVB165 circled back to pick up Victim and bring her to shore.

	I spoke with a third witness to the incident. Witness3 told me he was on the “tiki” boat in the center of Arnold Bay when he heard a noise. Witness3 advised he turned around to look what the noise was and saw Witness1 holding Victim in the water. Witness3 told me he saw Operator1 turn around to pick up Victim, and continued on, bringing her to shore. Witness3 said prior to the collision between Victim and the vessel in question, he believed the boat was traveling approximately 5-10 MPH and the waves were approximately .5 - 1 foot in height. Witness3 advised Victim and Swimmer were swimming to a sailboat located in the center of Arnold Bay.

	I spoke with Victim who told me she had walked on the dock located at the Arnold Bay Boat Launch with plans to swim to a sailboat located near the tiki boat with Swimmer. Victim said Swimmer was going to enter the water just south of her after putting their bags down. Victim told me she waved at everyone who was located on the boats in the middle of Arnold Bay before jumping into the water. Victim advised she was wearing a yellow one-piece bathing suit and was swimming (breaststroke) towards the sailboat located near the three previous boats mentioned. Victim advised the waves were approximately .5-1 foot that evening. Victim said she remembered coming up to take a breath of air while swimming and saw the bow of a boat right on top of her. Victim told me all she remembered was being lifted out of the water and placed on the end of a boat.
	Victim told me she was in the hospital from the 13th of August to the 29th of August. Victim advised she sustain multiple injuries to include a collapsed left lung, multiple rib fractures, left scapula fracture, left arm fractured, and spinal fractures.

	Investigation revealed there were three boats located in the center of Arnold Bay, a Stingray SVB165, a pontoon boat, and a “tiki” boat, tied together, approximately 250 feet southwest from the Arnold Bay boat launch. There was a fourth boat, a sailboat, located 100 feet southwest of the three boats tied together. Water conditions were choppy (.5 - 1-foot waves) and visibility was good with a slight glare coming off the water from the setting sun. The Stingray SVB165 separated from the pontoon boat, traveling northeast from the center of Arnold Bay to the Arnold Bay boat launch with Operator1 driving, Occupant1 in the passenger seat, and Occupant2 in the front seating area of the vessel. 

While this was happening, Swimmer and Victim were swimming in the water after previously entering the water near the Arnold Bay boat launch, with intentions to swim out to the sailboat. More specifically, Victim had jumped in from the Arnold Bay boat launch dock and Swimmer entered the water from the shore, approximately forty feet south of the boat launch dock. Swimmer and Victim were approximately 150 feet offshore, swimming southwest towards the sailboat located in the center of Arnold Bay. Operator1 had stopped to ask Swimmer if he wanted a ride on the Stingray SVB165. Swimmer declined and Operator1 continued towards the Arnold Bay boat launch at approximately 5 – 10 MPH. 

	As the vessel continued on, it struck Victim, causing her left lung to collapse, multiple rib fractures, left scapula fracture, left arm fractured, and spinal fractures. Witness1, who was on the pontoon boat in the center of Arnold Bay, jumped in the water, swimming towards Victim who was floating in the water. Shortly after, Operator1 noticed Witness1 in the water, holding Victim. Operator1 redirected the vessel, picking up Victim, as well as Swimmer, who had swum over to Victim to assist. The Stingray SVB165 continued to the Arnold Bay boat launch where Victim was later airlifted to the University of Vermont Medical Center for life-threatening injuries. 

	Further investigation revealed Operator1 did not have a boating certificate and the Stingray SBV165 was not registered. Contributing factors to the incident included Operator1’s impairment, a glare coming off the water from the sun, and choppy water conditions – approximately .5 – 1-foot waves. While investigating the crash, I also noticed the driver seat on the vessel was not secured to the floor of the vessel. 

There is no history of the vessel on file in Vermont and the year of the vessel is unknown.


BARDID: VT-2023-0003
AVesselLoss: 0
Date: 2023-07-05 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 13:05:00
State: VT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Lake Champlain
NearestCityTown: Charlotte
County: Chittenden
WaterConditions: Calm
Wind: Unknown
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Wednesday
AccidentCause1: Improper lookout
AccidentCause2: Navigation rules violation
AccidentEvent1: Collision with recreational vessel
RedactedNarrative:
This report comes from the report of the operator of vessel number 1.  

On 7/5/23 at approximately 13:05 hours, vessel 1 collided with vessel 2 while both boats were underway.  

Vessel #1 was under power at approximately 5 knots headed westbound toward Split Rock Point in Lake Champlain.  The operator reported weather conditions were clear and there were no visibility concerns.  Vessel #1 was traveling between Thompsons Point and Split Rock Point.  The operator put the vessel on auto pilot and began attending to other tasks on the boat.  Neither the operator, nor the passenger on vessel 1 saw any other boats in the area.  

Vessel #2 was under sail and on a starboard tack as it approached vessel #1.  Moments before impact, the occupants of vessel #2 started yelling to vessel #1.  Operator #1 became alerted by the shouts and attempted to take corrective action, but did not have enough time to do so, and both vessels collided.  

Operator #1 denied drug or alcohol use in his self report.  No injuries were reported.

Both operators exchanged information to file insurance claims.  

Both vessels sustained contact damage due to this crash.  Both were fully operational and were able to leave the area under their own power.  

Vessel #1 reported an estimated $3,300.00 in damage to the hull of the vessel.  Vessel #2 was described as having damage to the hull, lifelines, toerail and bow pulpit from contact with the anchor of vessel #1.  

This crash appears to be the result of operator #1's failure to maintain attention and failure to yield the right of way to vessel #2.


BARDID: VT-2023-0004
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-09-03 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 23:23:00
State: VT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Levi Pond
NearestCityTown: Groton
County: Caledonia
WaterConditions: Calm
StrongCurrent: N
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: No wind
Visibility: Poor
DayofWeek: Sunday
AccidentCause1: Operator inexperience
AccidentCause2: Overloading
AccidentCause3: Improper loading
AccidentEvent1: Capsizing
AccidentEvent2: Person ejected from vessel
CoordinatesConfidence: NC
RedactedNarrative:
On 9/3/2023 at approximately 2323 hours, the Vermont State Police received a report of a possible missing person in the town of Groton. The complainant called to advise three individuals were on a boat in Levi Pond and it overturned and only two made it back to shore. 

Search attempts were conducted through the night by uniform members of the state police and the decedent was not located. the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team was notified and responded to the scene in the early morning hours of 09/04/2023. 

I was notified about this incident on 9/4/2023 at approximately 0800 hours and responded to the scene. Upon my arrival I was made aware members of URT were scanning the pond in attempts to locate the decedent. at approximately 1100 hours i was notified they believed they located the decedent's body and divers were sent in to retrieve him. I was advised the decedent was located at the bottom of the pond in approximately 6 feet deep water approximately 50 feet from shore. 

The decedent's body was brought to shore and I conducted an examination of the body. The decedent was dressed in pants and work boots. One of the work boots was fully untied and it appeared the decedent was attempting to remove it when he went under. There were no injuries found on the decedent which would lead me to believe he was assaulted prior to coming off the boat. 

The decedent's body was brought to a near by intersection and MDI arrived on scene to conduct a more thorough body exam. There was nothing remarkable found on the second body exam. 

After the body was removed I drove to speak with the witnesses involved. Subject1 advised the decedent and everyone else came up to visit and they had been cutting wood throughout the day. he advised that evening they drove down to the Pond and observed a boat down there that was unlocked. Subject1 and Subject2 both advised the three decided to take the row boat out and try to catch some fish. I was advised it was dusk at this time and when they made it out to the middle of the lake it became very dark. Subject2 advised the remaining individuals were sitting by shore having a small fire when they heard a loud commotion on the water and tried to find flashlights to see what was going on. 

Both Subject1 and Subject2 advised two people returned to shore and no one could find the decedent. Subject2 stated they tried walking the banks and when they still couldn't find him Subject1 called 911. After the call was made they all attempted to located the decedent, but were unsuccessful. 

Subject3 advised when they were out on the water, the decedent and him decided it was time to go back and the decedent began rowing back to shore. Subject3 approximated they were in the middle of the lake but was unsure due to how dark it was. Subject3 advised the decedent was "rowing backwards" and the two decided to switch sides to make it easier to row. Subject3 advised as they both stood up, the weight distribution in the boat was off and it immediately overturned. Subject3 advised he began swimming and saw Juvenile struggling so he grabbed Juvenile and swam towards where they thought the shore was. Subject3 advised he did not look to see if the decedent was behind him as he was focused on making sure Juvenile made it to shore. Subject3 advised when he got to shore he could not locate the decedent. 

Preliminary autopsy results I received on 9/13/2023 list the immediate cause of death as drowning and list the manner as accidental.


BARDID: VT-2023-0005
AVesselLoss: -1
Date: 2023-10-02 00:00:00
Time: 1899-12-30 21:10:00
State: VT
NameOfBodyOfWater: Malletts Bay, Lake Champlain
NearestCityTown: Colchester
County: Chittenden
WaterConditions: Calm
HazardousWaters: N
CongestedWaters: N
Wind: Light
Visibility: Unknown
DayofWeek: Monday
AccidentCause1: Operator inattention
AccidentEvent1: Collision with submerged object
AccidentEvent2: Flooding/swamping
RedactedNarrative:
Information obtained from MISLE case ID 1370664

Operator called to report striking a submerged log in Mallets Bay on Lake Champlain.  The log penetrated the hull and the boat was taking on water.  USCG Station Burlington responded and assisted with pumping out the water until Red Can Marine and Salvage arrived on scene and towed the boat back to their marina.


