RedactedNarrative: SYNOPSIS:
  Responded to medical emergency call for service near Gunsight Butte for amputated arm on adult female.  We located the party on a houseboat that had capsized onto its side and then self righted. Assisted NPS Rangers with treatment/transportation/coordination with Classic Lifeguard for care of amputee. Amputee was flown to Dixie Hospital in St. George. Two more patients were transported by NPS vessel to receive treatment at Page Hospital. I conducted the on scene vessel accident investigation and then transported 9 individuals from the houseboat to the Antelope Point Marina.
  
  INITIAL CALL:
  At approximately 1330 hours on 9/14/17 I was in NPS Ranger office at Wahweap. A micro burst storm event was moving through the Wahweap area bringing strong winds and rain. Additional NPS Rangers had just been dispatched to a call for a houseboat that had reportedly capsized on its side near the sand king area across Wahweap Bay.  NPS dispatch then announced another emergency call for an adult female who had her arm amputated during a houseboat capsizing near Gunsight Butte. I began responding to my patrol vessel to take NPS Rangers with me to respond to that call.
  
  INVESTIGATION:
  I then began my investigation of the vessel accident that resulted in the injuries and substantial damage to the houseboat, as well as the capsizing of another run about vessel. The vessel owner had left with the NPS vessel and his injured wife. I surveyed the scene and the damage to the houseboat. I found that there was another vessel capsized behind the houseboat that had apparently been tied/moored to the houseboat when the accident occurred. I took photos of the damage as I worked through the accident scene.
  
  As we were trying to wrap up the investigation as soon as possible, so we could transport the rest of the group back (some of whom were wet and cold with minor injuries) to Antelope Point Marina, I only had one person who had been on the vessel when the accident occurred fill out a witness statement as all the people would have a similar account of the accident events. While witness filled out a witness statement I spoke with multiple other occupants of the vessel about the accident. I also located a broken metal anchor line cable and a location where another buried anchor had pulled out of the ground during the accident and took photos of those.
  
  CONCLUSIONS:
  At approximately 1330 hours on 9/14/17, a very strong micro burst storm moved into the area. Winds were reported around 60 miles per hour, likely gusting higher. The party (13 persons) were on board their houseboat when the storm hit the Padre Cyn area while one member of the group had gotten on a PWC to go out and look at the storm. Different witnesses reported that when the strongest part of the storm hit, that nearly all 13 of them were up on the second story eating or finishing lunch. They stated the storm seemed like a tornado as it strengthened. The houseboat broke a medal anchor line on the port side and pulled another anchor out of the ground on the port side, most likely when a strong gust of wind pushed on the port side of the vessel.
  
  With the port side of the houseboat free from its anchors, the vessel rapidly spun in the wind slamming the starboard side of the vessel against the shoreline. With the velocity of the vessel and the continued winds pushing on the large surface area of the side of the vessel as well as having the weight of so many people on the upper deck of the boat, the vessel capsized onto its starboard side against the rocky/boulder strewn shoreline. Witnesses stated it stayed on its side for likely less than one minute before the vessel righted itself. During the violent capsizing event all the passengers were likely thrown to the starboard side of the vessel, as well as furniture and other debris on the vessel itself. Several of the passengers were thrown out of the vessel.