Very sad news from Lake Champlain (Vermont and New York). I know both of these men, as they are members of the same bass club I'm in. I've fished with them a number of times. They went out yesterday to pre-fish for an Open tournament our club is hosting next weekend.
This is a grave reminder to ALWAYS wear a lifejacket and make sure your kill switch is attached and functioning.
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CROWN POINT, N.Y. -- Authorities said one man was killed and another seriously injured in a boating accident on Lake Champlain. Police have released more information about the fatal boating accident Thursday on Lake Champlain. It happened around 3 p.m. near Monitor Bay off Crown Point, N.Y.
New York State Police said the deceased is 60-year-old William Brown of Cuttingsville, Vermont. The injured man is William Wright of Whiting, Vermont.
The men were thrown overboard from a 1991 Ranger fishing boat that went out of control near Crown Point on Thursday afternoon.
"The operator of the boat lost control and the boat made a quick turn, throwing both the passenger and operator into the water. The boat continued on, circling at full throttle, and that's when it struck both the passenger and operator in the water," said Capt. John Tibbitts Jr. with the New York State Police.
Police said eyewitnesses saw the boat circling and called 911, but helped arrived too late. Authorities said Brown was pronounced dead at the scene and Wright suffered extensive injuries and was taken to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington.
Investigators aren't sure why the boat lost control or what the two 60-year-olds were doing at the time of the accident, but they do not believe weather or alcohol played a role. They also said it was a tragic accident that could have been avoided.
"The boat was equipped with an emergency engine shutoff switch which was not in use at the time. It was not clipped to his hand or belt or anything," said Tibbitts.
The U.S. Coast Guard will be checking the boat to see if it malfunctioned in any way.
An autopsy will be performed on Brown.
Police said they don't expect any charges to be filed.
Always wear KILL SWITCH the boat (Boating fatality Champlain
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lhousesoccer
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. My condolences to the familly.-
dead_weight
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Thats a really beautiful lake ... passed by it many times ... I think there's even rumors of some sort of sea monster like loch ness (true?) ... but it seems like every once in a while this happens ... perhaps some good will come of it if it reminds other boaters to hook up the kill switch and perhaps save their own life ... tough news ...
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lhousesoccer
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Champlain boat fatality eye witness report
This was posted on a New York bass fishing forum and thought it should be shared ... This guy was first on the scene when the guys were ejected from their bass boat. Read on.
http://www.nybass.com/showthread.php?44 ... n-hospital
Today 11:34 AM #7
basseppie
Join Date Sep 2008
Location central New Jersey
Posts 1
I was the first one on the scene of the accident. I'm from New Jersey and we were on a three day fishing trip. I have over 50 years boating experience both in fresh and salt water, my fishing partner has over 60 years experience and is a certified safe boating instructor in NJ.
We were fishing in the middle of the lake about a mile and a half north of the papermill on a hump. I hear a bass boat about a half mile away screaming up the lake . Then I hear the motor overspeeding ,I look up and see the boat going in tight circles. I said to my partner there's something wrong over there, and we take off for the scene.
As we get there I see a guy in the water, his face just barely above water , trying feablely to swin away from the circleing bassboat. He has numerous propeller cuts across his body the worst being on his chest ,which you could see into his chest cavity. There was so much blood in the water it looked like a shark attack !! I throw him a seat cushion ( he had no life jacket on). While this is happening my partner is on the cellphone on 911 reporting the situation.
As I'm throwing the jacket I see another guy in the water closer to the circleing boat ,but he is face down in the water and not moving. I say to my self that guy is in worst condition than the guy with the seat cushion so we go over to him. As we get to him he starts to sink. I grabed him and pulled his head out of the water. HE LOOKED DEAD. I'm holding him and his head out of the water and my partner slowly moves us away from the circleing boat that we were afraid was going to hit us.
We then try to get him into our boat. He looked dead but I'm no EMT and I thought if we get him in we could try mouth to mouth. I'm 62 amd my partner is close to 80, we just didn't have the strenth to get him in, and while we were trying my boat was in danger of capsizing.
At that time we saw another boat going by and we started waving and LUCKILY he saw us and came over. I told him to go to the survivor . He was able to get the surviver in the boat but he had greivous wounds. He then came over and tried to get the guy I was holding into my boat but the three of us couldn't do it . All this time we still had contact with 911 and he had a VHF and he contacted the coast guard.
At that time we heard sirens on the New York side of the lake so we decided to run the survivor to Monitor park on the New York Side. The other boat ran fast to Monitor , I was was only able to proceed to the park at idle speed holding onto the guy in the water. WE got about half way there when the other boat came back with a couple of police officers in the boat and they got the body into the other boat.
We did what we had to do at the time but after awhile I was pretty shook up,I couldn't sleep for two nights afterwards.
Now for what caused the accident: The survivor told the the guy in the other boat and the police that the boat driver SNEEZED and lost controll of the boat and that flipped them out. Were they wearing life jackets ? NO Would it have saved them? I don't think so because the boat would have still run them over and that is what caused the damage. Were they using the kill switch? NO Would that have saved them . Probibly, but I believe that they still would have been injurd. I beleive the main cause of the injuries and the death was EXCESS SPEED.
Now I'm not the type of person who goes spouting off on causes, I generally keep my oppions to myself, but after an experience like this I can't help myself. You guys with the big bass rigs aren't going to like this , I'm sorry. For 30 years I've been sick and tired of bassboats ripping buy me on lakes at 50Mph putting themselves and me in danger.
WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!
http://www.nybass.com/showthread.php?44 ... n-hospital
Today 11:34 AM #7
basseppie
Join Date Sep 2008
Location central New Jersey
Posts 1
I was the first one on the scene of the accident. I'm from New Jersey and we were on a three day fishing trip. I have over 50 years boating experience both in fresh and salt water, my fishing partner has over 60 years experience and is a certified safe boating instructor in NJ.
We were fishing in the middle of the lake about a mile and a half north of the papermill on a hump. I hear a bass boat about a half mile away screaming up the lake . Then I hear the motor overspeeding ,I look up and see the boat going in tight circles. I said to my partner there's something wrong over there, and we take off for the scene.
As we get there I see a guy in the water, his face just barely above water , trying feablely to swin away from the circleing bassboat. He has numerous propeller cuts across his body the worst being on his chest ,which you could see into his chest cavity. There was so much blood in the water it looked like a shark attack !! I throw him a seat cushion ( he had no life jacket on). While this is happening my partner is on the cellphone on 911 reporting the situation.
As I'm throwing the jacket I see another guy in the water closer to the circleing boat ,but he is face down in the water and not moving. I say to my self that guy is in worst condition than the guy with the seat cushion so we go over to him. As we get to him he starts to sink. I grabed him and pulled his head out of the water. HE LOOKED DEAD. I'm holding him and his head out of the water and my partner slowly moves us away from the circleing boat that we were afraid was going to hit us.
We then try to get him into our boat. He looked dead but I'm no EMT and I thought if we get him in we could try mouth to mouth. I'm 62 amd my partner is close to 80, we just didn't have the strenth to get him in, and while we were trying my boat was in danger of capsizing.
At that time we saw another boat going by and we started waving and LUCKILY he saw us and came over. I told him to go to the survivor . He was able to get the surviver in the boat but he had greivous wounds. He then came over and tried to get the guy I was holding into my boat but the three of us couldn't do it . All this time we still had contact with 911 and he had a VHF and he contacted the coast guard.
At that time we heard sirens on the New York side of the lake so we decided to run the survivor to Monitor park on the New York Side. The other boat ran fast to Monitor , I was was only able to proceed to the park at idle speed holding onto the guy in the water. WE got about half way there when the other boat came back with a couple of police officers in the boat and they got the body into the other boat.
We did what we had to do at the time but after awhile I was pretty shook up,I couldn't sleep for two nights afterwards.
Now for what caused the accident: The survivor told the the guy in the other boat and the police that the boat driver SNEEZED and lost controll of the boat and that flipped them out. Were they wearing life jackets ? NO Would it have saved them? I don't think so because the boat would have still run them over and that is what caused the damage. Were they using the kill switch? NO Would that have saved them . Probibly, but I believe that they still would have been injurd. I beleive the main cause of the injuries and the death was EXCESS SPEED.
Now I'm not the type of person who goes spouting off on causes, I generally keep my oppions to myself, but after an experience like this I can't help myself. You guys with the big bass rigs aren't going to like this , I'm sorry. For 30 years I've been sick and tired of bassboats ripping buy me on lakes at 50Mph putting themselves and me in danger.
WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!
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Bass Addict
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Re: Champlain boat fatality eye witness report
lhousesoccer wrote: WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!
Bass Boats are designed for Speed..........Not to go Slow
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lhousesoccer
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Re: Champlain boat fatality eye witness report
I think that's the wrong answer, and quite insensitive. My 345hp Dodge Hemi will go 150 kmph without even trying but I don't drive that fast, and even if there was NO speed limit, I wouldn't drive that fast.Bass Addict wrote:Bass Boats are designed for Speed..........Not to go Slowlhousesoccer wrote:WILL YOU GUYS PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!
Why? Because it's friggin' dangerous to go that fast, and one wrong move and I'd be smeared down the highway.
Why should lakes be any different? I'd argue that maybe lakes are MORE in need of speed limits for boats than highways, because there are no lanes to follow and on highways, you don't have to deal with things like waves.
And I say that as the owner of a Ranger bass boat with a 150hp outboard on it ...
Last edited by lhousesoccer on Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Speed was not the issue.
They would have been in the same situation @ 30 mph!
If you get ejected and you at least have the kill switch attached the boat would have come to a stop.
Remember the 2 guys up ar white lake. They were not going fast. Same situation they got ejected - no kill switch no pdf.
It is stupid to NOT wear a PFD and NOT to attach the kill switch.
They would have been in the same situation @ 30 mph!
If you get ejected and you at least have the kill switch attached the boat would have come to a stop.
Remember the 2 guys up ar white lake. They were not going fast. Same situation they got ejected - no kill switch no pdf.
It is stupid to NOT wear a PFD and NOT to attach the kill switch.
