5/20/23 at about 1245 a boat incident occurred at Lake Livingston near the boat ramp at the shelter area in Lake Livingston State Park. The park headquarters called me, Officer at 1251 and reported a capsized vessel with 3 occupants struggling to get to shore with possible injuries. I asked headquarters to call 911. I arrived on scene at 1252. 
Upon arriving on scene, one of the parties from the boat, who had sustained injuries from the incident was being pulled up the boat ramp while he was laying on an inflatable kayak and appeared unconscious. At the groups final placement of the kayak, was next to him and stated that injured had recently lost consciousness and was not breathing. I approached and verified that he was unresponsive and began doing chest compressions. After 12 compressions had been performed his  eyes opened wide, he regained consciousness, and began gasping for breath. Witness and I rolled him to the side and began to administer oxygen. Oxygen was administered until EMS arrived on scene at 1310. Injured was in and out of consciousness on 3 separate occasions but remained breathing until the EMT' s arrived on scene. He was not conscious while EMT' s placed a neck brace on him and worked to get him from the kayak onto a backboard and then onto the stretcher. It was reported by EMS personnel that his' s oxygen saturations were excellent when he was loaded onto the ambulance. He regained consciousness while they were administering oxygen in the ambulance and began verbally responding to the EMT' s. An airlift unit had been requested by EMT' s before their arrival to the park and it was coordinated so that the ambulance would meet the helicopter at the Livingston Municipal airport which was only 5 miles from the state park. EMT' s left the park at 1323 in route to the airport. Before Injured was loaded to the 
helicopter, EMT' s were concerned with the head injury he sustained due to his eyes being dilated and not responding to light. For this reason, he was intubated before his departure in Airlife 11. At 1331 Airlife 11 departed the airport in route to HCA Houston Healthcare in Conroe, Texas. On 5/21/23 at 1320 Injured was contacted and reported that breathing tube had been removed that morning and he was visiting with family and friends and doing much better. 
Injured was at Lake Livingston State Park on a day trip that started at about 0930 with his cousin, and his friend. Injured had several factors that contributed to his critical condition when exiting the park with EMS. Injured had a prior history of high blood pressure and was on medication for his heart rate. In addition to this he was on a 24 hour fast for the day. During the capsizing incident he hit his head on an unknown object. he complained regarding the strike to the head immediately after the incident but continued to assist the other two occupants with turning the boat back to the upright position, He then got in the flatbottom boat and started removing water with a bucket as his two partners pushed the boat back towards the boat ramp. While doing this he began to get lightheaded and requested medical attention from surrounding boaters.  witnesses that responded to his call for assistance came soon after. They was able to get his kayak over to the Alumacraft that Injured was in, and they were able to transfer him to kayak with Injured laying on his back. Witness paddled him to the boat ramp on his kayak and then he was lifted and moved further up the ramp by several bystanders where he lost consciousness during the trip to the boat ramp. 
The incident began when the Alumacraft occupied by 3 adult males began making their way back to the boat ramp from a fishing spot located in the southern most area of an inlet that was located between the screened shelters in the state park and the Lake Livingston Estate Subdivision #1 about 200 feet from the southern embankment of land in the inlet. The operator and owner of the boat, weighing 140 pounds was sitting at the rear of the boat operating the tiller drive 9.9 hp Mercury 4 stroke motor. Occupant weighing 195 pounds was sitting in the middle starboard side of the boat, and the injured party, weighing 260 pounds was standing facing the operator of the boat at the bow of the boat as they were underway. The boat was rated at 3 people or 380 maximum pounds in the boat including gear. Without gear the occupants exceeded that occupancy by 215 pounds at 595 pounds of total occupant weight. Lake Livingston is a large 83,600 acre and shallow lake averaging 25ft deep which causes it to become rough with large waves quickly. The wind was 6 mph out of the NNW at 1245 which meant that water was being blown into the inlet and waves were approximately 1-2 feet. The direction of travel the vessel took towards the boat ramp was generally North. A small freeboard allowed the waves to overtake the bow on 
the port side several times which led to the vessel taking on more water weight. Additionally, Injured' s placement on the bow of the boat and standing caused the center of gravity to be higher than normal when in motion contributed to the capsizing of the vessel. operator stated that before the capsizing he tried to turn the bow of the boat towards the oncoming waves from the west and when he did the boat capsized throwing the occupants to the starboard side. The witnesses saw the vessel roll over onto all three occupants about 200 feet from the boat ramp. No damage was done to the boat and all required safety equipment was located on the boat and available for use. Also, the motor being only 9.9 hp meant the operator was not required to take a mandatory boater education class. There were no citable violations in the incident. The incident would have been avoided had the proper amount of weight not been compromised by the overloading of occupants in the boat, the 1- 2-foot waves that were coming into the inlet, and a standing occupant in an unstable vessel. Nothing further to report at this time.
0451 LIVINGSTON