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  Man dies after boat capsizes - Hampton, NH

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Author Topic:   Man dies after boat capsizes - Hampton, NH
GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 09:53 AM ET (US)   Profile for GreatBayNH   Send Email to GreatBayNH  
This story was in today's local paper. I thought I'd share it here so that we will all be mindful this summer when it comes to safety.

God bless the family of the man who didn't make it.

========================================================

Man dies after boat capsizes
Fellow fisherman rescued off Hampton Beach

HAMPTON — One man died and another man was hospitalized Sunday night after their fishing boat capsized in the ocean off Hampton Beach, according to a fire official.

Hampton Deputy Fire Chief Steve Benotti said calls from witnesses began pouring in shortly before 7 p.m. reporting that two people standing up in a 12-foot fishing boat had been struck by a wave and their boat had capsized off Concord Avenue. In a press release, the Coast Guard Office of Public Affairs indicated it had received reports that the boat collided with rocks or a jetty.

Benotti said Hampton rescue personnel quickly dispatched their marine unit, a fire engine and an ambulance to the scene and found a pair of small boats attempting to aid the capsized boaters. A firefighter in a life vest swam out about 100 yards to help, according to the deputy chief, and one man was pulled aboard alive but not breathing and was swiftly given CPR.

Benotti said that action saved the man's life.

"We got there just in the nick of time, you could say," he said.

The man was transferred to land by way of the Hampton fire boat and transported to Exeter Hospital. His condition was not available late Sunday night.

The second man was not immediately located. Officials dispatched a Jayhawk helicopter from the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England at Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., and 25-foot boats from Coast Guard stations in Portsmouth Harbor and Merrimack River, Mass.

Benotti said the second man washed up on shore after 8 p.m., about an hour after the search began. He was dragged to shore by a bystander before emergency personnel gave him CPR. He was rushed to Exeter Hospital, according to Benotti, but late Sunday night when the deputy chief spoke to the Herald, the man had died.

Benotti said he could not identify either man or give their ages, but he said both were adults. Neither appeared to be wearing life jackets, Benotti added.

Hampton police also provided assistance at the scene, according to Benotti.

R T M posted 06-15-2009 10:12 AM ET (US)     Profile for R T M    
Here we go again. Getting in a boat, automobile, climbing a step ladder, or putting out the garbage(last year a poor sole was killed in my town when he was just doing that, putting out the garbage, and a truck lost control, drove over his lawn and killed him) is inherently dangerous. Every day I read about people killed in car crashes and once in a while someone dies in a boating accident. Must we painfully go over each and every boating fatality here like it was something that is unheard of. Just be careful in what YOU do.

rich/Binkie

GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 10:24 AM ET (US)     Profile for GreatBayNH  Send Email to GreatBayNH     
quote:
Just be careful in what YOU do

Yes, indeed. Wearing your life jacket is good way to do that. The posted article was to serve as a reminder of that fact. Not so much to rehash another unfortunate boating accident.

GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 10:37 AM ET (US)     Profile for GreatBayNH  Send Email to GreatBayNH     
An update to the above article was posted on the local paper's web site. Cause of death: hypothermia/cardiac arrest. Keep in mind falling into the waters of the North Atlantic can be more of a death sentence than lets say falling into the waters off the western Florida coast. The clock starts to tick immediatley. He was found about one hour after the accident. The warm June air temperatures are a common lure to many boaters in northern New England to take chances when the water temps could kill in minutes. If he had been wearing a life jacket his chances of being seen and removed from the icy waters would have improved greatly.
R T M posted 06-15-2009 10:39 AM ET (US)     Profile for R T M    
I understand your motive, but they always seem to turn into a rehash, and then I become afraid to even put my boat in the water.

rich/Binkie

Plotman posted 06-15-2009 10:49 AM ET (US)     Profile for Plotman  Send Email to Plotman     
I don't think we need to hear about every boating accident out there. If we are interested, we can use the google news search feature to find them.

I don't see what this has to do with whalers.

GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 10:51 AM ET (US)     Profile for GreatBayNH  Send Email to GreatBayNH     
Sorry Rich. I didn't mean to scare you into not using your boat. I often take my life jacket off in warm weather. It's a bad habit that I'm sure I'm not alone in practicing. Sometimes a little fear is a good thing if it serves as a reminder to practice safety. I used to work for an airline pilot of American Airlines. Someone asked him after a report of a AA plane crash if he was ever afraid to fly. He replied that a little fear is a good thing and he would never want a co-pilot that didn't have a little healthy fear in his/her belly as well.

GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 11:16 AM ET (US)     Profile for GreatBayNH  Send Email to GreatBayNH     
quote:
I don't think we need to hear about every boating accident out there

You're probably right. No, we don't need to hear about every boating accident out there. I did think twice about posting this article knowing I may get some feedback like the ones I'm getting. I too tire of the multitude of boating accident news presented on this forum. The thing that struck me about this article was that the deceased man as in his 20's, 50 yards from shore, and had almost an immediate response to the accident scene. I took this as a wakeup call to being more vigilant about not getting lulled into a false sense of security. Actually, it sounds a lot like the scenario Warren T’s post, regarding his near shore close call, was talking about.

That said, before clicking the submit button the last thought that went through my head was that if my post entered one person's consciousness, and indirectly saved that person’s life this summer, then I was willing to take the heat.

Whaler related?, not really. Helping fellow boaters that use their Whaler's in conditions that favor the Whaler more than the occupants of the Whaler?..time will tell.

gnr posted 06-15-2009 11:30 AM ET (US)     Profile for gnr    
My, what a selfless individual.

I don't know how the rest of us would get by without those here that feel obligated to worry about us.

Thank you.

R T M posted 06-15-2009 11:52 AM ET (US)     Profile for R T M    
Obviously, the man had serious health problem unrelated to falling out of his boat. Around here if a person falls overboard 50, 100 yards, or a quarter mile from shore, you could break your neck, its only 2 feet deep. You could actually walk back from 3 miles its only 4-5 feet deep.

rich/Binkie

GreatBayNH posted 06-15-2009 12:41 PM ET (US)     Profile for GreatBayNH  Send Email to GreatBayNH     
quote:
Obviously, the man had serious health problem unrelated to falling out of his boat.

He could have but not an obvious conclusion. The report said cause of death was hypothermia/cardiac arrest. He could have had a pre-existing heart condition.

john10 posted 06-15-2009 01:15 PM ET (US)     Profile for john10  Send Email to john10     
Does EVERYTHING here become an argument?

If an article doesn't interest you, if it isn't relevant to your lifestyle, just ignore it and move on.

Feejer posted 06-15-2009 01:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for Feejer  Send Email to Feejer     
God forbid anyone read the story and maybe learn something from it.
sapple posted 06-15-2009 04:01 PM ET (US)     Profile for sapple  Send Email to sapple     
I find these stories and analyses from this site's participants to be helpful. I have modified several of my personal practices as a result of learning about best and worst safety practices. I have also learned a lot of good seamanship tips.
newt posted 06-15-2009 04:15 PM ET (US)     Profile for newt  Send Email to newt     
Considering that this incident took place in my backyard, I for one appreciate the post. Maybe I'll actually wear my PFD more often.
elaelap posted 06-15-2009 04:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for elaelap  Send Email to elaelap     
Thanks for posting this important cautionary report. Everyone--skipper, wife, kids and guests--aboard my boats wears PFDs. Even in hot weather. Even (especially!) teenagers. Especially me when I'm cruising/sailing/fishing alone. Even old salts who give me the hairy eyeball and sneer at my wusshood. Everyone. Always (actually, tell a lie, almost always--sometimes on a small warm water lake I break that rule, but I probably shouldn't).

Tony

lizard posted 06-15-2009 11:33 PM ET (US)     Profile for lizard  Send Email to lizard     
GreatBay-

I, for one, find these postings helpful reminders, of safety and the omnipotent power of the sea.

Like Elaelap, I insist on PFDs. If someone does not like my rule, they can boat elsewhere.

It goes back to the EXTRAORDINARY data on fatalities in boating accidents in the absence of PFDs.

And I agree, if a post here is not of interest to you, does not directly impact you, does not worry you, move on. Life is short, don't argue with logic.

You don't need weatherman to know which way the wind blows.....

Ian_H posted 06-15-2009 11:41 PM ET (US)     Profile for Ian_H  Send Email to Ian_H     
In a follow up to the importance of wearing a PFD is cold water conditions I have attached a link to a Canadian study on cold water immersion and the chances of survival with and without PFD.

http://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/home.html

Ian

rong posted 06-16-2009 02:43 PM ET (US)     Profile for rong  Send Email to rong     
You don't need a PFDs in New England. You need a survival suite. Much respect for boaters living that area.

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