Lake Erie Boating accident

[zummy]

I copied this from a walleye forum. However crappie fisherman are also out in the cold water. I know the water temp was 48 in the lake I was fishing yesterday.


This was posted on the “Sandusky Bait Company’s” Facebook page last night….an eye witness account…

This is the account of the men involved in the tragic boat crash on Lake Erie the other night.
Please everyone, be safe out there

1 dead, 1 still missing.

HURON — The buddy system saved the lives of two Mansfield fishermen who were involved in a harrowing boat crash on Lake Erie.
Phil May, John Allen and Bob Blanton were in one boat, while Matt Mooney and Matt Baker were in the other.
The friends were competing Tuesday night in the Walleye Fall Brawl, a fishing derby on Lake Erie. The incident happened west of the Cranberry Creek Marina, in open water.

A night of fishing and friendship took a tragic turn when another boat collided with Mooney and Baker. A man in the other boat died at the scene. The other has not been found. Their names had not been released as of Friday.

The Mansfield friends worked together to make sure there weren't more casualties. All five men are avid fishermen. May, Allen and Blanton weren't having much luck.

We got one big one and two small ones," Allen said.
The trio was fishing in only seven feet of water. May communicated with Mooney in the other boat. He and Baker were faring much better in deeper water.
"We started our course back to where we thought those guys were at," May said.
That later proved to be crucial in helping the people involved in the crash. May was able to get there in time. The men agreed there wouldn't have been time if they had remained at their initial location.

As May was piloting his boat closer, he received a call from Mooney.
"He said they'd been hit. They were going down," May said.
May told Allen and Blanton to pull in their fishing reels.
"I was screaming and hollering," May said.
Mooney cried out for help.
"I just took off for that sound," May said. "Bob came to the front of the boat. I wanted an extra set of eyes. I didn't want to run over anybody in the water."

May and company came across Mooney's boat. The other boat had already sunk.
By that time, Mooney had made it back to his boat from the other boat. He was standing in about two feet of water as his vessel sank. Blanton pulled him to safety.
Local man thought he was going to die
While Mooney made it back to his boat to await rescue, Baker was in trouble. He was in the water.

"I jumped about the same time he did," Baker said of Mooney. "I missed the back of his boat."
Even though Baker was wearing a life jacket, he was struggling. He said he was prepared to die.
"I couldn't catch my breath," Baker said. "I had decided I was done."
His friends had other ideas.
Allen tried to reach Baker with a net but was unsuccessful. Blanton gave it a shot and managed to bring Baker back to the boat.

May said he didn't think Baker could have lasted much longer in the cold water.
"It was colder than a mother-in-law's kiss," May said.
Mansfield men try to save other crash victims
After rescuing the two men who were closer to the boat, the friends tried to find the other two men.
"I heard one noise. That was it," Blanton said.

The crew reached one of the men from the other boat, but the situation looked dire.
"Once we got to him, he was face-down in the water," Allen said. "This muscleman (Blanton) pulled him over the back of the boat."
Blanton next called his daughter, who is a nurse, and put her on speakerphone as he attempted CPR on the man.
He performed CPR — 20 chest compressions followed by two breaths — for the next 30 minutes.

"To be honest, I thought we had him back," Blanton said. "He started to breathe. He did open his eyes.
"Then he was gone again."
The man had died.
"I don't know what else we could have done," Blanton said.
Despite possibly being in shock, Mooney helped with the chest compressions.
"I don't know how you did it," Blanton said.

As for the other man, the Mansfield fishermen never saw him. Authorities searched for him overnight Tuesday, calling off the search late Wednesday morning.
"We used a boat and a helicopter, as well as a fire boat from Huron Fire," said Lt. Jeremiah Schiessel, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard's Sector Detroit. "When we search, it's the assumption that the missing person is on the surface of the water.

Boat captain offers his account of incident
Mooney disputes some media reports saying there were no lights on his boat. He said he has captained this same boat for 20 years and that it was well-lit Tuesday night.
The other men corroborated his account.
Mooney is still processing what happened, the strain clearly showing on him.
"I can see this boat coming down on us," he said. "We might have had 10 to 15 seconds."

Mooney said he did not have enough time to get his boat, which was going only 1.5 mph, out of the way of the other vessel, which he estimated was going 20 mph.
Baker was prepared to jump out of their boat, but Mooney yelled for him to stay put.
Contrary to previous reports, Mooney said none of the four people involved in the crash were thrown into the water.

Their boat's on top of us," Mooney said. "I immediately called Phil. We're taking on water."
Mooney and Baker put on their life jackets and climbed onto the other boat. Mooney told the other boaters to put on their life jackets. He said they did not appear to be injured.
"They were bound and determined to get their boat off of our boat," Mooney said. "I don't understand it. They never did put their life vests on."

Mooney said the entire incident happened in a matter of minutes.
"It was insanity," he said.
He laments not being able to save the other two men.
"They didn't put them (life jackets) on. They would have lived," Mooney said.
Incident a reminder of importance of boater safety
Schiessel urged people to be careful on the water.
"We stress that boating safety is a serious thing," the Coast Guard spokesman said, adding people need to be aware of their surroundings.
"One of these boats did not see the other, and it turned tragic," Schiessel said.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is handling the investigation.
As for the Mansfield friends, they will have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. They planned to get together this weekend for a celebratory dinner.
"I call Phil and Bob the heroes," Allen said.

__________________

[BuckeyeCrappie]

I read this on the Ohio Game Fishing forum just hours after it happened. Really tragic and sad. Prayers

[Retired2Fish]

Tragic, but a reminder to all of us boating safety is paramount and wearing a PFD is essential. Prayer lifted for all involved.

[DockShootinJack]

It is scary to witness the things people do on the water at night.

[Rojo]

I wear and make any person in the boat with me wear an inflatable PFD at all times. If they don't they don't go with me. At 60 I'm not jumping in a emergency situation to find a PFD. We lost a drilling rig in hurricane Juan, the life capsules flipped over as soon as they hit the water, second "driving the point home for me" one of Louisiana's WF Agents very directly told my brother he Never pulled up a "body" wearing a PFD. You hate to hear of a accident like this but unlike a hurricane zero time to prepare for a accident on the water.

[DockShootinJack]

I wear and make any person in the boat with me wear an inflatable PFD at all times. If they don't they don't go with me. At 60 I'm not jumping in a emergency situation to find a PFD. We lost a drilling rig in hurricane Juan, the life capsules flipped over as soon as they hit the water, second "driving the point home for me" one of Louisiana's WF Agents very directly told my brother he Never pulled up a "body" wearing a PFD. You hate to hear of a accident like this but unlike a hurricane zero time to prepare for a accident on the water.

I have an inflatable and a regular vest on the boat. I have started wearing the standard vest over the inflatable in the winter with the cold water.

[Rojo]

My Mustang inflated after years of use while I was jig fishing. It scared the "You know what" out of me. Instantaneously, inflated. Guess the pill went south because I had a jig pole in my hand. I left it inflated till the re-arm kit arrived, 4 days. The Mustang lost no pressure for the whole time. Can't go cheap on Survival Gear.

[CrappiePappy]

I have an inflatable and a regular vest on the boat. I have started wearing the standard vest over the inflatable in the winter with the cold water.

Jack .... I think you may want to reverse them, seeing as how the inflatable isn't supposed to be worn "under" restrictive clothing .... so as to not put pressure on your chest (lungs) to the point of not being able to breathe.

[DockShootinJack]

I surely said that wrong. What I meant to say is I have picked the standard vest over the infallible. I only wear one at a time.

[DockShootinJack]

My Mustang inflated after years of use while I was jig fishing. It scared the "You know what" out of me. Instantaneously, inflated. Guess the pill went south because I had a jig pole in my hand. I left it inflated till the re-arm kit arrived, 4 days. The Mustang lost no pressure for the whole time. Can't go cheap on Survival Gear.

I had one inflate in the storage compartment of the boat. It was about 3/4 inflated when I found it.