Boating Accidents - South Florida - Crashes, Wrecks, Sinking, Drunk BWI, Rescues

BOATING ACCIDENTS

Boating Accidents Of Note To Boaters In Florida's Palm Beaches And Treasure Coast

Florida leads the nation in boating accidents. These local accidents took place in one calendar year. This page is intended to give you a sampling of types ofr perils faced by local boaters:

LAKE WORTH INLET-60 FOOTER CATCHES FIRE, SINKS: A 74 year old Jupiter man was hospitalized in critical condition after his 60 foot yacht "My Girl" caught fire near the Lake Worth/Palm Beach Inlet. He and the boat's captain were rescued from the blaze by a Sea Tow boat. The $400,000 yacht was insured, but it's owner doesn't plan to return to the water any time soon.

More Information

Florida Boating Accidents: Statistics

Common Accidents & Prevention

Preventing Boat Accidents: Article

How Lawyers Sue Boaters

ENGINE FAILS, MAN DIES OFF BOYNTON BEACH INLET: A 74 year old man died after a problem with his boat engine. The man and two others were in a recreation fishing boating about one mile off the Boynton Beach Inlet. The men were working on the boat's engine when it reportedly backfired and caused a fire. The 74 year old man was burned and jumped into the water to extinguish the flames. A nearby good Samaritan used his VHF radio to make a mayday call, then jumped in the water to assist. A nearby Sea Tow boat arrived within 5 minutes and took the unconscious man back to shore. Lifeguards tried to resuscitate him, but were unsuccessful. The cause of death was believed to have been drowning.

WAVE CRACKS STERN, SINKS BOAT OFF JUPITER INLET. VOLUNTEER DIVERS RAISE BOAT TO SURFACE FROM SEA FLOOR: Two men were fishing in the "Capt. Dave", a 19' boat, just off the Jupiter Inlet. They had just anchored when a large wave slammed the boat, cracking the stern. Water began flooding the boat. There was just enough time for the men to make a VHF mayday call and secure their life jackets. The boat then sank. The men were rescued by a nearby boater.
A few days later, volunteer scuba divers raised the boat from 64 feet. They used large drums filled that were filled with air from scuba tanks.

COUPLE FOUND DEAD IN ENGINE ROOM: A man and wife were found dead in their 58-foot Hatteras Long Range Cruiser at The Bluffs Marina in Jupiter. The bodies were found in the boat's utility room. The couple was in the process of painting the engine room. Investigators believe the man accidentailly tripped the boat's fire extinguishing system. This deprived the engine room of oxygen and the couple suffocated.

TUG & BARGE SMASH APART ON ST. LUCIE INLET JETTY: One of the few female captains of a seagoing tugboat lost her tug's transmission in the St. Lucie Inlet. Her tug and an empty barge were smashed against the rocks. The crew was rescued by a nearby boater. The 57 year old woman was an ex-teacher and artist who was featured by the Miami Herald as a very unique boater and tugboat owner.

7 YEAR OLD IN COMA FOLLOWING NIGHTTIME COLLISION: A 30 foot boat collided with a 15 foot bass boat near the Intercoastal Waterway in the City of Lake Worth. Two men where fishing off the bass boat while two brothers, 7 & 9 years old, where asleep in the stern. The larger boat hit the smaller boat in the rear, causing severe head injuries to the 7 year and putting him in a coma. Both boats were severely damaged. After hearing a call for help a third boat arrived to rescue the boaters.

ONE DEAD AFTER TWO BOATS COLLIDE IN INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY: Two open fishing boats collided on the Intercoastal Waterway, in a slow zone near the Donald Ross Bridge (across from the Bert Winters Park Ramps.) One person died and another was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Liquor bottles were found at the scene. Apparently one boat side-swiped the other.

FWC BOAT KILLS MANATEE: A Florida Fish and Wildlife boat struck and killed a manatee in a fast speed zone. The boat was on routine patrol. The accident happened in Brevard County's Haulover Canal.
The boat was accelerating after just leaving a slow-speed zone. The officer felt a bump and immediately shut down the engine. He then realized he hit a manatee.
The officer immediately reported the accident. Marine scientists were sent to study the scene. The accident presented an unusual opportunity because most manatee-boat collisions go unreported. The information may be used for "...more effective regulations and possibly new vessel designs in the future."
The FWC pointed out that "...he did what law-abiding boaters should do when they hit a manatee.... He notified the nearest FWC office so biologists could document the accident and learn from it... It's important to remember that manatees are not confined to slow-speed zones."
The FWC said, "...the FWC does not penalize boaters who are operating their vessels lawfully when they accidentally hit a manatee, even if the manatee dies."
"Boater who hit a manatee, or anyone who sees a manatee in distress should notify the FWC at 1-888-404-FWCC or call #FWC or *FWC on a cellular phone in some areas."
Read more about manatees and local boating.

5 BOATERS DISCOVERED TREADING WATER AT SEA: A passing boat heard the screams of two people at about 10pm in the ocean 30 miles south of Miami. The pair had been treading water for five hours without life jackets. Their 20' boat had capsized and sunk. Three others, including a 9 year old boy, were found about 90 minutes later. Incredibly all were okay.

DIVER DIES DURING LOBSTER MINI-SEASON: A diver on a commercial dive boat died after running out of air and coming to the surface. He was hunting lobsters during the two-day �sport� season. The accident happened off Government Cut in the Miami area.

TWO ENGINES AND THEY STILL DIDN�T MAKE IT TO THE BAHAMAS: Five Palm Beach County men left for the Bahamas in a dual-engine sedan cruiser. One of the men was on his way to his wedding. One engine failed in route. Then the second engine failed. Then the VHF radio died and their flares would not work. The men were at sea for a total of three days before being spotted dead-in-the-water by the Coast Guard. They had drifted north and were towed into Melbourne, Florida. The bride-to-be met the men at the dock. Her groom was alive-the best wedding present she could have received.

BOAT INSTANTLY SINKS, LEAVING CREW SWIMMING WITH SHARKS: Four men fishing 11 miles off the Sebastian Inlet nearly died when a surprise wave suddenly swamped their 20 foot boat.
They had already caught six sharks and chummed the water for more. Then a large wave hit the boat. It took only seconds for the boat to sink. The boat went down so fast none of the men had a chance to grab their nearby life jackets. All were floating without life jackets in the Atlantic, with sharks swimming beneath.
One man found a cooler floating. In the cooler he had packed a cell phone (protected by a plastic bag.) He called 9-1-1 and was able to report his position before the phone went dead.
The Coast Guard rescued the men after about 90 minutes. All were okay. The incident received national attention when the men appeared on NBC's Today Show.

FISHING FAMILY RESCUES 5 MEN: A boat with five fishermen capsizes and sinks four miles off the Jupiter Inlet. A man fishing with his wife and daughter sees the men waving in distress. The family rescues the men and calls the Coast Guard. The distressed crew was unable to call for help via VHF and was forced to try a cell phone. The Coast Guard says the boat sank because of a clogged drain valve that prevented the bilge pump from working properly. The local Coast Guard responded to a total of five distress calls on this busy boating Saturday.

COAST GUARD SAVES FATHER AND SON: A father and son were boating in the ocean just off Juno Beach. Their boat began taking on water. The Coast Guard arrived to help just three minutes before the boat sank.

Boating Police Blotter

Local Law Enforcement

VHF Marine Scanner Frequencies

Weekend Crowds On Local Waterways

Wakes: How To Handle Monster Wakes

Local Safe Boating Classes

Boat Operations Checklist

Inlets

Ramps

Marinas

Local Restaurants With Boat Docks

Peanut Island