2 rescued after boat crash in Monroe County
A Fourth of July boat crash in Monroe County left two people with critical injuries, officials said.
Speed and alcohol were factors in the incident that left a 62-year-old man and his 38-year-old son clinging to rocks before authorities pulled them out of the water, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Authorities said that at approximately 11:26 p.m. Thursday, dispatchers received several 911 calls about a sinking boat near the entrance to Bolles Harbor on Lake Erie with subjects in the water. Sheriff's deputies and rescue personnel found the pair near the Hoffman Memorial Fishing Pier and pulled them out.
Preliminary information revealed they were operating a 26-foot 1983 Chris-Craft boat. For unknown reasons, while attempting to enter the harbor, the boat crashed into the seawall near a channel marker, rupturing the hull and partly sinking the boat, investigators said.
Both victims were transferred to Mercy Health - St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo for critical injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
The probe comes after two people were injured in two incidents on Commerce Township lakes on the holiday.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports conservation officers will have an increased presence on Michigan waterways through Saturday as a part of Operation Dry Water, a national law enforcement campaign promoting sober boating.
The U.S. Coast Guard recently reported that alcohol is among the top 10 primary factors in recreational boater deaths. According to the DNR, alcohol impairs impairs a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time, and can increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion.
The DNR says it is important to wear a life jacket and ride with a sober operator who has successfully completed an accredited boater safety course.
This week, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water issued recommendations that include make having a proper boat anchor; avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning by turning off a boat's generator when swimmers are at the back; and remembering noise, vibration, sun, wind and waves can cause fatigue and slow reaction time.