Vessel 1, with four persons onboard (three in the front seat; one in the rear seat), had been in operation for approximately 30 minutes when the Occupants became tired from paddling/pedaling.  At this time Vessel 1 had travelled down river past the Main Street Bridge.  The Occupants attempted to turn Vessel 1 up-river in the current but had difficulty in steering Vessel 1.  The Occupants of Vessel 1 then put up the red flag on Vessel 1 (as they had been instructed prior to renting Vessel 1) to indicate that they needed to be rescued.  All Occupants aboard Vessel 1 were wearing lifejackets at this time.

Seeing the red flag, Vessel 2, with two persons on board, then went out to tow Vessel 1 back to the dock.  The Operator of Vessel 2 attached a five foot length of tow rope to a rope that extended from the portside to the starboard side of Vessel 1, instructed the Occupants of Vessel 1 to sit back in Vessel 1 while it was being towed, and began to tow Vessel 1.  Both Occupants of Vessel 2 were looking forward without watching Vessel 1 as they began to tow.  Hearing screams from Vessel 1, the two Occupants of Vessel 2 looked back and saw that Vessel 1 was tipping forward with its bow pushing down into the water, swamping Vessel 1.  This action caused the stern of Vessel 1 to rise up into the air, flipping the Occupants of Vessel 1 into the water and resulting in Vessel 1 landing on top of the Occupants in the water.  The Operator of Vessel 2, seeing this occuring, shut down the engine on Vessel 2 and with the assistance of the other Occupant of Vessel 2, began a rescue of the Occupants of Vessel 1.

All of the Occupants of Vessel 1 were successfully brought aboard Vessel 2 and transported to shore.  There were no visible injuries to the Occupants of Vessel 1, however, Occupant 1 complained of a headache as a result of Vessel 1 striking her in the head (where her hairband was located).  All parties refused treatment, but the mother of the Victim was told to watch the child for signs of a possible concussion and to seek additional treatment if needed.  Later that same evening, the Victim was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center for additional evaluation of her head injury where it was determined that she did have a concussion and was treated and released.  

Investigation of the incident revealed that excessive towing speed, combined with the fact that the Occupants aboard Vessel 1 (with three persons in the front seat) had unevenly distributed the weight on Vessel 1 were contributing factors to the accident.  Lack of a proper lookout also contributed to the accident.
Dayton                        