Boat slams into breakwall at 30 mph

[hobbs]

Wanted to share the news this morning. These stories seem to get pushed to the back page quickly...

A 33-foot pleasure boat that hit the breakwall at Burns Harbor, Ind. this morning, sending two men aboard to hospitals, was traveling at an excessively high speed, authorities said.

The craft was going an estimated 30 to 35 mph in an after-dark 10 mph zone, said Gene Davis, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Citations were likely, he said.

The boat had been purchased only the day before, said Chief Boatswain's Mate Rebecca Polzin, officer in charge of the Coast Guard station atMichigan City, Ind.

"Inexperience may have been a factor," she said. The boat's hull broke on the breakwall, which was well-lit, she said.

The Coast Guard received a distress call at 3:15 a.m. and sent out a rescue vessel from Michigan City, about 15 miles away, Polzin said. A tug also heard the call, came to the aid of the boat and stayed through the rescue operation, she said.
The Coast Guard vessel took two people off the sinking boat at about 4 a.m.

One of the injured was airlifted in apparent critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with a head laceration, Polzin said. The other was taken by ambulance to a Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, where he was treated for lacerations and released. They were believed to be local Indiana residents.

Polzin noted there were two unused life jackets on the boat.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is assisting in the investigation.

URL to story and image... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ts-indiana-breakwall-20110608,0,4918397.story

 

[LetsRock]

This is why I never go out at night. The wall could have easily been another boat. I might be missing out on some enjoyment by not going out at night but so be it.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Hmmmm, bought the boat the day before and they think inexperience MAY be a factor? What a brilliant deduction. How about booze, inexperience and a little "Hey bubba, hold my beer for a minute and watch what this baby will do"?

Looks like a Rinker Fiesta Vee 330. I bet this guy's wife and his insurance many are going to want some answers.

 

[Presentation]

The bumper thingies are on then wrong side.

 

[JerryS]

Hmmmmmm!

• 3am
• Boat purchased prior day
• 30-35 in a no wake zone
• Hits a well lite break wall
• Two bubbas on board

It's a good thing that they had those fenders deployed. They would probably hate to see the side of the boat scratched up from those rocks! :smt101

 

[Gofirstclass]

This is why I never go out at night. The wall could have easily been another boat. I might be missing out on some enjoyment by not going out at night but so be it.

You're absolutely correct. Been there, done that with being hit by a drunk boater.....

We still boat at night, and often overnight on the boat, but I keep a hand held spotlight on the helm just in case someone gets close.

 

[Gunn]

This is why I never go out at night. The wall could have easily been another boat. I might be missing out on some enjoyment by not going out at night but so be it.

Nighttime boating only played a small part in this. Yes, the guy may would have probably seen the wall in the daylight, but....most *experienced* boaters would have seen the wall at nighttime too. Owning a boat for one day, doing 30+ in a 10 zone, and doing all of this after dark is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

Tom

 

[JerryS]

Wow, he had to hit you with some real force to do that. The last time that I was out at night, a canboat passed to my port side with no lights on whatsoever. I never saw him until he was already going past me, the reflection from my 360 lighting picked him up.

 

[MaddyDean]

The bumper thingies are on then wrong side.

:smt043:lol::smt043

 

[LetsRock]

You're absolutely correct. Been there, done that with being hit by a drunk boater.....

We still boat at night, and often overnight on the boat, but I keep a hand held spotlight on the helm just in case someone gets close.

Holy crap. I assume you were ok since you are still here to talk about it....

 

[LetsRock]

Nighttime boating only played a small part in this. Yes, the guy may would have probably seen the wall in the daylight, but....most *experienced* boaters would have seen the wall at nighttime too. Owning a boat for one day, doing 30+ in a 10 zone, and doing all of this after dark is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

Tom

True, but its just one more thing in the equation as evidenced by JerryS' post. That is what scares the crap out of me.

 

[Bucit]

Quoted from the Chicago Tribune "But Frug surmised the boaters may have mistaken the lights on a nearby dredge for the harbor lights and run into the breakwater instead. "It's a common mistake," he said.

If it's a common mistake why don't they fix it?

 

[hack4alivin]

The bumper thingies are on then wrong side.

I guess he did not know how to use that radar thingy he had on the arch either ??? I would think that pile of rocks would make for a pretty yellow mark on the screen!

 

[Gofirstclass]

Holy crap. I assume you were ok since you are still here to talk about it....

I don't want to sidetrack this topic, so the condensed version is: Three of us on my boat, 10:00 p.m., clear night, no wind, good visability, we had all of our nav lights on plus cockpit lighting. We were drifting on the Columbia when we were hit by a drunk boater driving a Bayliner 2455 Ciera. Called the water cops, they were there within 10 minutes and arrested him for BUI. The three of us suffered various whiplash injuries (nobody needed hospitalization that night though I went to the ER the next day when I coudn't turn my head to the left at all), and my boat was totaled.

I heard from a person who knows him that on the day of the accident he and his girlfriend had been drinking all day, she'd been dancing topless on the deck of his boat, and at the time of the accident he was distracted by her performing a skin flute solo on him.

It took me a few months to settle with his insurance company (I got in their pockets REAL deep) and found another 330 Dancer just like the one that got wrecked.

 

[Bucit]

I heard from a person who knows him that on the day of the accident he and his girlfriend had been drinking all day, she'd been dancing topless on the deck of his boat, and at the time of the accident he was distracted by her performing a skin flute solo on him.

I wonder if he's still able to pee or if she bit off the flute?

 

[Still LauCo]

Gofirstclass- Glad you made it out of that ok! unbelievable story.
These guys, while I hope they are physically ok, are obvioulsy at fault and lucky they didn't injure/kill innocent people.
And I just found a smokin hot deal on a 33 Rinker on ebay, with less than 5 hours on it and a radar that's never been turned on!

 

[Tail Chaser 661]

A good radar has a few alarms that can be set to warn us of these knuckleheads coming at us.
A really good idea to have set. When in the fog also.

 

[jpk33]

New boater(s)? according to the story one may have had some expierience - However in the area they were in the lights on shore (heavy industry) sometimes obscure nav lights (aids to nav and vessel lights) add that to inexpierience and any other mitigating factors (was alcohol involved?) and the speed was a primary cause. I travel frequently at night and even with radar and GPS you would be surprised at what you may find after dark (unlit small craft - dingys & PWC's without lights) out on the water on for a "moonlit cruise" and these small targets rarely present themselves as a good target on the radar. We have the same issue with new boaters hitting breakwalls every year (at least 3-5 per year on average) in this area alone.

 

[Stray Cat]

He may have been inexperienced, but his antenna was straight....well before it sunk anyway.

 

[hack4alivin]

New boater(s)? according to the story one may have had some expierience - However in the area they were in the lights on shore (heavy industry) sometimes obscure nav lights (aids to nav and vessel lights) add that to inexpierience and any other mitigating factors (was alcohol involved?) and the speed was a primary cause. I travel frequently at night and even with radar and GPS you would be surprised at what you may find after dark (unlit small craft - dingys & PWC's without lights) out on the water on for a "moonlit cruise" and these small targets rarely present themselves as a good target on the radar. We have the same issue with new boaters hitting breakwalls every year (at least 3-5 per year on average) in this area alone.

I travel a lot a night as well. You can not tell me that this size breaker wall would not present a “good target” on your radar. It is going to show up big time and if you decide to keep running in that direction on plane, well guess what!