Boat accident at Smoke on the Water

[Havasu Hangin']

Apparently a 42' boat rolled. One dead, one hospitalized, one OK, one missing.
Be safe out there.

[1stepcloser]

Where is Smoke on the Water?

[Phat Matt]

It's Michigan.
http://www.smokeonthewaterpokerrun.com/

[Havasu Hangin']

Local story:
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41809
I think KROOZIN' is out there...

[HCS]

Hell of a way to end a hand of poker. :frown:

[KACHINA KEN]

Is it an OSO guy?

[Phat Matt]

Local story:
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=41809
I think KROOZIN' is out there...
I think you are right.

[Phat Matt]

70 mph doesn't sound that fast for a 42' boat. :confused:

[BoatFloating]

70 mph doesn't sound that fast for a 42' boat. :confused:
But when you hit the water it is..... :(

[IN2-IN2MX]

Terrible news :(

[unleashed]

Heres a post from OSO.....
This was a sad day, I was the first civilian boat there, beat the Coast Guard by about a minute. We helped pick up debris, ferried friends from boat to boat and kept watch below for the missing person. It was a very horrible scene, there were two PFDs in the water with no one in them, the blow up type did not do the job, they, along with all their clothing and shoes were ripped right off. Friends had commented that the missing person had a wife and new child, we need to pray for them. We just delivered the deck hatch to the boat, it is locked down but we were able to go in to give a report. The stern was a mess, the exhausts were straight up, the bolsters were shoved forward into the dash. It looks like it spun and just crushed the stern into the water. We were about to comment on why they were overshooting the first card stop, then an outside boat turned in, I am sure it surprised the others who then made the turn also, this is when we saw a huge spray in the air and knew there was trouble. We raced out and there were two in the water unconscious, one down and one holding them up. From the blood we saw it looks like the person who passed on the way in hit his head hard, one was revived and has a broken back, the other was missing. One man was totally un hurt, not even sore...go figure. Well, I have seen many bad things but this made me sick, I almost cried as the friends in my boat told how there was not room for the missing one so they got him a ride in the boat that spun. Very sad and the guilt, from the survivor to those around, is horrible. The worst part out there was looking down and wondering where this person was, I hear his name was Mike S. I was glad I was able to help, even though it was not much. I will have this scene in my head for a while now and will pray for these men and that I never have to see it again.
Sorry for the loss and hope for the best for the survivors.
Deano
Unleashedclothing (http://www.unleashedclothing.com) :devil:

[Phat Matt]

That's a sad story. :frown:

[locogringo]

my condolences... :(

[cola]

Godspeed

[Angry Inch]

terrible news

[UnionJack]

really blows

[SBullet]

That's just wrong! :(

[Mrs.Racer277]

Godspeed.
Very sad story.

[mbrown2]

My condolences..

[Jbb]

Very sad day... :(

[Dusty Times]

Very sad news and I believe that my insurance guy puts that run on.
After alot of the crashes happening in the last year I've been wearing my vest and lanyard alot more even if I'm not running wide open. My prayers are with the families of those involved

[Chromegorilla]

Your right 70 isn't too terribly fast. He was slowing down from 110MPH to make a hard turn because he missed the turn to the first stop. It was an Outerlimits. Sad story no doubt.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

My condolences to all, including family, friends, and rescuers nearby. :squiggle:

[Miss Perfect]

Wow, that is just terrible! :frown:

[Rexone]

Your right 70 isn't too terribly fast.
Don't underestimate 70 just because most these boats go much faster. It can be compared to going down the freeway and jumping out of your car into a stationary object. We've seen very severe injuries in ski racing in past years at much less than 70 from skier hitting the water (with safety gear).
Wear those Lifeline jackets guys and girls. PFD's don't cut it for impact situations, they're only designed to float a person that falls over. Very very sad story, my condolences to all.

[Kachina26]

So sad, I'm sorry to hear it :(

[BajaMike]

Part of the story from the papers web site:
"Lake Michigan boating accident leaves 1 dead, 1 missing
July 9, 2005, 5:33 PM
HOLLAND, Mich (AP) -- One man was killed and another is missing and presumed drowned after a 42-foot power boat carrying four people capsized Saturday on Lake Michigan as the driver was making a turn, authorities said.
The single-boat accident happened about 9:45 a.m. EDT near the western Michigan community of Holland.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Craig Lawrance said the men on board were part of a Smoke on the Water Poker Run that included 60 to 70 boats. He said the boat was speeding from Grand Haven to Holland when the driver overcompensated for a missed turn, slowing from about 110 mph to about 70 mph.
Lawrance said alcohol was not a factor.
A 20-year-old Bristol, R.I., man died from his injuries, and the 42-year-old missing man is from Hartland, Wis., authorities said. Ottawa County sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Allman said he likely drowned.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and boat were joined by divers from the Ottawa and Allegan county sheriff's departments in a search of the lake Saturday afternoon.
The driver of the boat was taken to Holland Community Hospital for treatment of back injuries, while a fourth man on board was not injured.
Additional information about the men wasn't immediately released.
Lawrance said the poker run involves boaters making stops at various locations on land and in the water to collect cards for a poker hand.
The two-day event is based in Grand Haven and has been held annually since 2001, according to a Smoke on the Water Web site. Boaters take a 141-mile course with stops in South Haven, Holland, Muskegon and White Lake".

[Garrddogg]

What a shitty thing to happen, I feel terrible for all those involved..

[Havasu Hangin']

I guess the driver was new (just had the boat delivered- first run). Turning any step-bottomed boat (even a 42' Outerlimits) can be tricky.
Like Rex said....
...wear your Lifelines and lanyards.

[rivergoer]

thats just a shame lives wasted for what nothing...suck big time,my condolences as well :(

[Havasu Hangin']

From the local paper:
http://hollandsentinel.com/images/071005/13865_512.jpg
A day of fun in the sun on Lake Michigan turned tragic Saturday morning when a 42-foot power boat flipped over southwest of Holland State Park, claiming one life and sending search and rescue crews into the water for three other men. One of those men was still missing late Saturday.
A 20-year-old Bristol, R.I., man died from his injuries, authorities said. By early evening, police had still not identified the deceased, awaiting notification of his family.
The boat's owner and operator, Dave Morison, sustained back injuries and was taken to Holland Hospital. He was in fair condition late Saturday night.
Throttleman Bob Russell was not injured.
Ottawa County marine officers and others searched about 12 hours for Mike Scaffidi, 42, of Hartland, Wis. Ottawa County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Kevin Allman said he likely drowned. Search efforts were suspended at dusk.
Scaffidi was wearing a personal floatation device at the time of crash, but it was torn off by the impact of the water, authorities said. The life vest was found floating near the overturned boat.
"It happened in about 70 feet of water, which makes it a little more difficult to locate objects," said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Craig Lawrance.
He said the boat was traveling from Grand Haven to Holland as part of a charity event at about 9:40 a.m. when the driver overcompensated for a missed turn, slowing from about 110 mph to about 70 mph.
"He took the turn too sharply and it flipped and capsized," said Lawrance.
The crash happened two nautical miles southwest of the Holland channel.
It was an otherwise perfect day to be at the beach, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching 85 degrees -- the kind of summer weekend when cars line both sides of Ottawa Beach Road, the only vehicle access to the state park.
The beach was peppered with people and towels, and the scene belied the somber task at hand southwest of the pierheads as a Coast Guard helicopter made larger and larger sweeps of the sky looking for the lost boater.
The blue-green water of the lake played host to hundreds of watercraft in every shape and style, from large charter fishing boats to kayaks.
"You couldn't help but watch the boats," said Tom DeHaan, 47, of Jenison, who was one of the first beach arrivals at about 9 a.m.
The large and loud boats were already tearing up the water, he said.
"I saw this big spray of water and knew something was wrong ... other boats started circling," DeHaan said.
Todd Mulder, 46, of Zeeland, and Craig Overway, 40, of West Olive, had ventured out into Lake Michigan early with three youngsters for a day of fishing.
Their 18-foot fishing boat was about a quarter-mile from the path of the high-powered boats when the incident occurred.
"It just appeared he decided to make a drastic left turn -- the boat just dug in and flipped. There were no other boats in the way, no waves," said Mulder.
Witnesses said the wall of white-water spray created by the boat crashing back onto the surface was massive.
"The impact on the water looked like a bomb had gone off," Mulder said.
Water shot up 50 to 60 feet and was still falling back to the surface as Mulder grabbed the mic on the marine radio and alerted the Coast Guard to the crash.
Within 30 seconds, he heard other boaters calling in, and moments after the boat capsized, several boats had reached the scene and were helping pull victims from the water, he said.
A Coast Guard boat positioned at the end of the channel immediately raced to the scene.
"He opened it up and booked -- he went full steam ahead out there," said DeHaan of the Coast Guard vessel.
Lawrance said the Coast Guard's 25-foot boat reached the crash scene within 3 minutes.
The man who died was alert when first pulled from the water, said Lawrance, but he was soon unconscious and Coast Guard officers began CPR while still on the big lake. At 10:06 a.m., the victim was pronounced dead.
Lawrance said the men were part of a Smoke on the Water Poker Run that included 60 to 70 boats.
The two-day event is based in Grand Haven and has been held annually since 2001, according to a Smoke on the Water Web site. Boaters take a 141-mile course with stops in South Haven, Holland, Muskegon and White Lake.
A poker run is not a race, according to the event organizers. It's a game of chance, and speed does not determine the outcome of the game.

[JetBoatRich]

Sorry to read the news this morning :frown:
Our heart goes out to all involved

[riverracerx]

Horrible news. This could happen to anyone of us, so be safe everyone!

[C-2]

Terrible news, especially if it was an avoidable mistake.
:(

[bigd1]

This is a different boat - an OL 50 footer. Looks like it gets away from him pretty easily...
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=OL50_spin