Boating Accident

[Virt]

I havn't seen any of this news yet posted on the forum. Where are you Mr.Eh? I sold my 16ft for this very reason.

Please be careful out there. Police are no looking for a 28 ft cabin cruiser who may of been responsible for swamping the fishing boat.

 

 

LAKESHORE - A young girl and her mother are dead after search crews found them floating in the middle of Lake St. Clair early Monday, with no boat in sight.

The 13-year-old girl, her mother and stepfather had set out on a boat trip around 3 p.m. Sunday. Earlier that day, next door neighbour Rick Parent said the father had stopped by his house to borrow a life-jacket, wanting to make sure his family was safe on the water.

Parent said the victims' family told him, after the trio was found in the water, that their 16-foot boat sank when another larger vessel sped past and the boat was hit by a big wave. Police haven't confirmed that.

 

FATEFUL TRIP: A 16-foot boat carrying a Tellier Road man, a 45-year-old woman and her 13-year old daughter, were last seen leaving this area of the Ruscom River at 3 p.m. Sunday. The boat overturned in Lake St. Clair, tossing the group overboard. The man survived, but the mishap claimed the lives of the mother and her daughter.

Nick Brancaccio, Windsor Star

Font:****"Another boat went by and swamped them," said Parent, who called police when he realized the family hadn't returned home. "Their boat sank."

 

FATHER TREATED, RELEASED

Police haven't released the victims' names. The father was treated for hypothermia and released from hospital on Monday.

Lakeshore OPP said the family had launched from the Deerbrook Marina Sunday.

The marina is just across the narrow Ruscom River from their home on Tellier Road. Police said they went to the family's house after a neighbour called around 1 a.m. Monday to say the three never returned.

"They went out fishing and were overdue to return," said Parent.

"They only wanted to be gone about two hours because she had other appointments.

"He had told me they wanted to be back between five or six o'clock.

"I noticed they weren't back and was getting worried about them."

After Parent's call, officers searched the house. They found no one and called the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton.

Capt. Larry Hrabets at RCC Trenton said his office got the call at 2:24 a.m. to launch a widespread search.

He said the Canadian Coast Guard, the OPP's Essex County Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard, with a helicopter, all joined the search.

They found the 13-year-old girl and her father, in his mid-40's, floating in the water around 5 a.m.

Search teams found the 45-year-old mother around 6:30 a.m. with no vital signs. She was pronounced dead at hospital. The young girl died at hospital around 11 am. Monday, after being treated for hypothermia, police said.

Hypothermia was likely the cause of death for the woman and her daughter, said Hrabets.

"We don't know how long they were in the water," he said.

"We just don't know what happened. They were wearing life-jackets. That's the No. 1 thing."

Hrabets said searchers found the family about two miles north of Stoney Point.

The family's 16-foot boat, with a 65 horsepower Johnson motor, was still missing Monday evening, he said.

Neighbours said the family had just got the boat and it had a new radio in it.

Hrabets said the family also had cellphones, but no one answered when rescuers tried to call them.

OPP Const. Karen Gignac-Trudell said police are still investigating how they became stranded in the water.

The family moved to Belle River from London in August, according to neighbours.

"They enjoyed fishing and they enjoyed being here," said Parent.

They're very nice people. I talk to them quite a bit.

She's just a beautiful young little girl. They were good neighbours. That's all I can say."

They lived in a small grey, single-storey home nestled next to the river beside Essex County Road 2.

Font:****News of the tragedy spread quickly throughout the small community, made up of avid boaters living along the lake and Ruscom River.

"I was devastated," said Margaret Bensette, who lives down the street. "That poor little girl, then the mother. What he must be going through right now. It's sad."

Their deaths were the second major tragedy to occur on Lake St. Clair over the weekend.

Three people were killed and two more were injured in a crash Saturday on the U.S. side of the lake.

It happened around 11 a.m., when a 38-foot power boat with five passengers crashed into a 120-foot barge that was docked in Belvidere Bay.

[email protected] or 519-255-5777 ext. 642

Edited May 27, 2008 by Virt

[Tarzan's Jane]

Too tragic for words.

[e-z-out]

I see bigger boats doing that all the time just this pass weekend on belwood lake at the pike derby myself and another OFC'r almost got swaped.

It is very sad to see this happen to a young family.

I hope others will slow down when passing smaller boats out on the waterways.

Edited May 28, 2008 by AILE GOBY

[Clampet]

Many of our lakes and waterways are becoming busier with each passing season.

It doesn't take much error to make a fatal mistake.

[Cookslav]

People these days just have no common sence...

In a lake that size why on earth would you need ride by someone that close?

 

Its an absolute shame...

 

just this pass weekend on belwood lake at the pike derby myself and another OFC'r almost got swaped.

 

I hear that,

There were a lot of idiots out there this weekend....

 

Its just simple curtisy to slow down, or steer clear of other vessles, yet people don't seem to care.

's

[Reel Nauti Pirate]

I know the man who survived, the story as printed in the Windsor Star is inaccurate the boat was a 19' Apollo center console with an 85 Johnson. He had only had the boat a short while and this has devastated not only his family but a community. Belle river is a small tight knit town everyone knows one another and has some connection to Lake St. Clair. Please remember when reading and commenting on boating tragedies that those involved are Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, friends, and relatives of someone. Please place these people and those grieving they're loss in your prayers.

[2 tone z71]

wow tragic loss and terribly news,bad read, its hard to belive a wake flipped and swamped a 19 ft boat

[outllaw]

this is tragic news. on st clair there were 5 deaths in 2 incidents the past weekend. . losing family and friends due to inept boat operaters is the reason why theres laws in effect. . folks complain when the lawmakers patrol. theres a reason why they patrol.

[ccmtcanada]

Very sad....my condolences to the family, all their friends, and the community.

[fisher]

I know the man who survived, the story as printed in the Windsor Star is inaccurate the boat was a 19' Apollo center console with an 85 Johnson. He had only had the boat a short while and this has devastated not only his family but a community. Belle river is a small tight knit town everyone knows one another and has some connection to Lake St. Clair. Please remember when reading and commenting on boating tragedies that those involved are Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, friends, and relatives of someone. Please place these people and those grieving they're loss in your prayers.

 

 

 

Personally I think the sentence you have at the bottom of your post is offensive:

 

"I used to be a lifegaurd..... But some blue kid got me fired"

 

While you may think it is funny, I do not.

[BillM]

That is horrible..

 

Now the question: What the hell passed by that swamped a 19ft center console?

[brooks999]

Personally I think the sentence you have at the bottom of your post is offensive:

 

"I used to be a lifegaurd..... But some blue kid got me fired"

 

While you may think it is funny, I do not.

 

It is just a quote from a comedian......

 

it is in his signature and not part of the post.

[blaque]

That is horrible..

 

Now the question: What the hell passed by that swamped a 19ft center console?

 

Yeah that is strange, im out in a boat just smaller than that........and have very rarely seen anything come close to getting water into my boat. Not sayin it didnt happen, obviously it happened, but just wonder what the heck could have done that.? A big boat not trimmed out right (front end up high and pushing a ton of water) chugging thru the water.......may be the culprit as they throw a larger wake. But still, , terrible none the less, im sure noone intended for anyone to get hurt. Just a heartwrenching thought though... all of it, terrible. Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved

[LeXXington]

Very Sad, and a tragic loss

 

I can't see a 19 foot boat flipping after getting swamped I could be wrong but that sounds odd.

 

Still all play safe, we have all been there when a boat goes flying by too close.

[lew]

There's alot of very large lake freighters crossing St. Clair and they can throw off huge waves that could easily swamp a 19' boat.

 

A 19 footer is large as far as inland fishing boats go, but it's only a speck on the water when put up beside a ship that's displacing 10 or 20,000 tons

 

Very sad news indeed.

Edited May 28, 2008 by lew

[bigbuck]

DEVASTATING NEWS!!!

My condolences to the father who survived.

To those out there who question the wisdom of the Operator's Card, this is why the government is doing it. Common sense does not prevail in many people (and that is what the bulk of the test is). I hope the person who was operating the boat that roared by knows what he/she did and suffers for the rest of his/her life knowing what they did.

I am both saddened and enraged by this tragic event. I have a young family and I would probably never recover if anything happened to my girls.

[setomonkey]

Very sad news. Can't imagine being the father who survived this terrible accident...

 

Mike

[DanTheMan]

So sad and NOT FAIR!!

[Handlebarz]

Our thoughts have been with the family since I heard it on Monday when am 800 reported that they had two in critical condition then later she passed this is very hard for alot of us down here with smaller boats even though I bought a nice bigger boat that is wide and stable it is still not safe when these goofs come across the lake watching there GPS not the water.

 

here is my rant I posted on our local board

 

In June of 2006 it was almost my family who was sank by some jerk who did not know enough and sent waves crashing over my boat when we were trying to head out from Deerbrook ( still know what that boat looks like) and then last year another jerk did the same thing to us and two other boats when we were heading out from the light house it was just a young guy early 20's and there was alot of people on that boat what is it with these people who dont care who they KILL I see it all to often they go right by you looking at the GPS and not giving a crap for the others out there in our smaller boats. I hope that they find the dude that did this and sting them behind a boat this is just not acceptable for this to happen its a very sad day for us all that we can not go fishing with the family with out having to worry about this stuff.

 

Sorry for the rant but this is to close to home for me and I hope others will share there feelings on this.

 

P.S. this is just one other reason we need the OPP and Coast guard out there THANK YOU to all who helped in the recovery and rescue.

[lew]

I hope that they find the dude that did this and sting them behind a boat this is just not acceptable for this to happen its a very sad day for us all that we can not go fishing with the family with out having to worry about this stuff.

 

Mike, as I suggested in my 1st response it could possibly have been caused by one of the lake freighters crossing the lake. They can push up some very large waves that could easily flip a 19 footer from a long ways away and not even know it happened.

 

I had a boat tied to the dock in Adolphus Reach at Quinte several years ago and it was swamped by the frieghter that supplies the cement factory in Picton Bay.

 

Just a thought......

[Reel Nauti Pirate]

Mike, as I suggested in my 1st response it could possibly have been caused by one of the lake freighters crossing the lake. They can push up some very large waves that could easily flip a 19 footer from a long ways away and not even know it happened.

 

I had a boat tied to the dock in Adolphus Reach at Quinte several years ago and it was swamped by the frieghter that supplies the cement factory in Picton Bay.

 

Just a thought......

 

The OPP are looking for the operater of a small cabin cruiser between 22-28' for questioning or anyone whos has information. They are not looking for the Great Lakes Fleet.