On 5/28/23 at 8:37pm i received a call from national park service ranger.  Ranger advised me that a fatal boating incident had occurred earlier that day in the atlantic ocean off of shackleford banks.  He emailed the pertinent information to me, and the following day i investigated the incident.

I spoke over the phone with one of three occupants of the vessel involved and the wife of the deceased victim of this incident.  Wife reported that she, husband and subject1 rented a vessel and travelled to cap lookout the previous day.  She reported that some time between 3:30 and 3:45pm, the three left cape lookout to head back towards the mainland.  

She reported that her husband was the operator of the vessel involved.  She reported she and subject1 were sitting in front of the center console.  She also reported that they were traveling in the ocean parrallel to shackleford banks.  She reported the waves were very choppy and that at one point, she heard husband say "hold on".  

Wife reported that she, husband, and subject1 were all ejected into the water when the vessel hit a large wave.  She also said that they all swam toward the banks and at one point, she looked to the left and saw husband standing in the water. 

 She then stated that she saw the boat farther to the left of husband.  Wife reported that the water was not deep but it was very rough and the distance from shore may have been about a half of a football field, 50 yards.  Wife reported the waves pushed her under several times but she eventually made it to shore.  She reported that she kept an eye on the vessel to ensure they weren't hit by it.  She reported the vessel did not turn over and that subject1 reached the shore before she did.  

She said that she turned around toward the ocean and did not see husband and that she yelled to subject1, "where's husband?".  She said that subject1 did not know and then stood up and could then see husband in the water floating but not moving on his own.  She reported she then ran back in the water to get husband.  

When she reached him, he was not moving and she attempted to get him back to shore.  She reported the water was rough and was submerging her and husband with each wave, but she was doing her best to keep husband's head above water.  Wife reported that upon reaching the shore, she attempted to give him cpr, but he was still getting hit in the face by the waves.  Wife reported that she yelled to subject1 that she needed help pulling him further to shore and that even with subject1's help, they were unable to pull him much further to shore.  

She then yelled to subject1 to call 911, which she did and she, Wife, continued trying to perform cpr, but he continued to be unresponsive.  Subject1 told her that the phone reception was poor.  Wife said that the vessel had been pushed to shore, so subject1 ran to the boat to radio for help and that subject1 came back and told her that she was told to get husband further out of the water.  Wife reported that they tried to do so but were unable to.  She reported that subject1 took over performing cpr and Wife stated that after a few minutes, first responders arrived on the scene.  They first responders were able to move husband further up out of the water and on the shore.  They performed cpr for about an hour and were unable to revive husband and pronounced him dead at the scene.

On 5/29/23 at approx 4:30pm, i spoke with subject2 from beachside bikes and this was the business that husband rented the vessel from the previous day.  Subject2 turned over a witness statement form to me.  Subject2 reported that husband had rented boats from him four or five times in the past.  Subject2 reported that at approximately 5:00pm on the previous day he called husband's phone to check on the group but did not get an answer. Subject2 stated he called the renters' phone number several times, but did not get an answer, and also sent a text message but still no answer.

At that time, the park ranger notified us that the boat was beached at mile marker 53, thus we notified sea tow and on 5/29/23, they recovered the vessel.  After pulling it off the beach, they notified us that after pumping some water out of the bilge, the boat started and instead of towing it through the inlet, they brought it back under its own power to the ramp by our location.   Subject1 was informed by the rental company to inform them if there was anything that they could do to help them personally?  Then later about 9:00pm, subject1 contacted the rental company to get the address of the business so they could retrieve their vehicle and all personal belongings left on the vessel, but that they were not retrieved.


ATLANTIC OCEAN
BEAUFORT                      