Two Bodies Fished From Delaware River After Tour Boat Crash

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Posted on 9th July 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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 Police Friday recovered two bodies from the Delaware River, victims of an accident where a sightseeing duck boat was hit by a 250-foot barge and sank.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/body-pulled-from-delaware-river-near-duck-boat-crash-site/19547826

It appears that the two bodies were those of Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16, who were part of a group of  tourists visiting from Hungary.

They were the casualties of an accident Wednesday when a touring duck boat stalled, and several minutes later was hit by the barge. Another 35 people were safely recovered after the accident. Police salvaged the duck boat from the bottom of the river Friday. 

The duck boat had put out a distress call when it stalled, but the Coast Guard said that it couldn’t make out any voices. 

The company that operates Ride the Ducks tour boats said it was suspending its operations across the country in th wake of the fatal crash.  

 Schwendtner’s body was discovered early Friday on the river about two miles from where the accident took place. An autopsy was performed on her body, and she died of drowning.

Prem’s body floated up from underneath the barge after authorities pulled the duck boat up from the river bottom. 

Search ends for NFL players lost off Fla. coast

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Posted on 3rd March 2009 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 3/3/2009

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The Coast Guard called off the search Tuesday for two NFL players and a third man lost at sea off the Florida coast after their boat capsized during a fishing trip.

Officials said the search would end at sundown, with Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played with the Detroit Lions last season, and former South Florida player William Bleakley still missing in the rough, chilly seas.

“We’re extremely confident that if there are any survivors on the surface of the water that we would have found them,” said Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close, who added that searchers scoured the equivalent of 24,000 square miles over more than 60 hours.

Hopes were raised Monday when crews found a fourth man who was aboard, 24-year-old former South Florida player Nick Schuyler, who managed to stay with the boat after it overturned Saturday evening.

William Bleakley’s father said he felt comfortable with the Coast Guard’s decision and that his expectations lowered after only one survivor was found.

“I think they did everything that they could,” Robert Bleakley said of the Coast Guard. “I think they were not to be found.”

Close said searchers found a cooler and a life jacket 16 miles southeast of the boat, but no other signs of the men.

Prospects for survival became more grim throughout the day, with Cooper’s father saying the Coast Guard told him privately officials were losing hope because so much time had passed and hypothermia risks were high. Coast Guard officials said publicly that they were still hopeful.

“I think the families understood that we put in a tremendous effort,” Close said. “Any search and rescue case we have to stop is disappointing.”

Family and friends embraced and sobbed outside the Coast Guard station shortly before the announcement. They left without talking with reporters.

“I’m sure that I’ll speak of Will like he’s still with us for a long time,” Robert Bleakley said later of his son. “He’ll be an inspiration for me for a long time. He always has been. I told everybody, I call him my hero.”

Lions running back Kevin Smith called Corey Smith “a good, quiet guy, who always put in an honest day’s work.”

Kevin Smith, a Florida native, said he has been fishing off the coast as far as the men were in boats smaller, the same size and larger than the 21-foot watercraft that capsized.

“The No. 1 thing when you’re out there is, you have to respect the water,” he said. “I know those guys had safety vests. I’m trying not to even think about it. That’s a tough way to go.”

The four friends left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected. The Coast Guard said it did not receive a distress signal.

Close said some family members asked about continuing the search on their own, which he discouraged but said the Coast Guard wouldn’t prevent.

“I can’t emphasize this enough,” Close said. “We do not want any additional search and rescue cases resulting from people who are outside their experience level.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may be heading out Wednesday to recover the boat, which was still on the water.

Schuyler told the Coast Guard the boat was anchored when it capsized. The four friends were able to put on life vests and huddle together, but eventually became separated, he said.

Schuyler was dehydrated and showing symptoms of hypothermia, but his condition was upgraded to fair on Tuesday. Hospital officials said he didn’t want to talk to the media.

The Coast Guard hadn’t had more detailed conversations with Schuyler “due to his physical and medical condition,” Close said.

Cooper, who is 26 and owns the boat, was selected in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Washington. He played 26 games for the Bucs in his first two pro seasons, then led a nomadic NFL existence.

Cooper and Smith, 29, became friends when they were teammates at Tampa Bay. Smith signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2002, and spent last season with Detroit before becoming a free agent. The former North Carolina State standout recorded 42 tackles (28 solo), three sacks and 10 special teams tackles in 2008, his best NFL season.

Bleakley, a 25-year-old former tight end from Crystal River, Fla., was on the USF football team in 2004 and 2005. He had one reception for 13 yards in his career, which also included some time on special teams.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

GUYANA: River boat capsizes, kills at least 3 on river that borders Suriname

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Posted on 25th October 2008 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 10/25/2008

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Police say seven people likely drowned when a speed boat capsized on a river along the Guyana-Suriname border.

Deputy Commander Simon McBean says the boat flipped as it was crossing the Corentyne River. He says a survivor was hospitalized and cannot provide details.

McBean says police found the bodies of three women on Saturday and are still searching for four people.

Passengers often rely on speedboats to make the 20-minute trip across the river instead of using the ferry.

Authorities in both South American countries demand boat operators carry lifejackets and emergency signaling equipment. It is unclear if the boat was properly equipped.

The capsizing occurred late Friday.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

Pilot: Towboat erratic before Miss. River spill

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Posted on 9th October 2008 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Date: 10/9/2008 9:57 PM

By CAIN BURDEAU
Associated Press Writer


NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ A towboat was so erratic it appeared its operator “had had a stroke” as it pushed a barge into the path of a tanker before a collision that shut a major shipping waterway over the summer, the tanker’s pilot testified Thursday.

The tanker ran over the barge in July, causing the barge’s fuel tank to rupture and spill about 276,000 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River in New Orleans. The collision closed the river for six days.

Testifying during the opening day of a new round of inquiries by the Coast Guard, tanker pilot Chance Gould said the towboat cut across the river in front of his craft for no apparent reason.

He said it didn’t heed whistles, warning lights and demands over the radio to back up. Recordings of the radio traffic show that the Mel Oliver did not respond to Gould’s craft, the Tintomara.

“The way it looked to me, it looked like someone had had a stroke on the boat,” Gould said about the way the towboat, Mel Oliver, was being operated.

Lawyers for the towboat and barge owners — Jeffersonville, Ind.-based American Commercial Lines LLC. — questioned whether Gould obeyed the “rules of the road” by not allowing the towboat to cross the river. They declined comment outside the hearing.

Gould said he followed standard practice — southbound ships stick to the west bank of the river and northbound tows stick to the east — and that it is a towboat’s responsibility to communicate its intentions when it plans to cross the river in front of a ship.

A properly licensed captain was not aboard the Mel Oliver, according to the Coast Guard. Instead, it was steered by an apprentice who should have had a captain at his shoulder but didn’t, the Coast Guard has said.

So far, the operator of the Mel Oliver, John Paul Bavaret II, has not given his side of the story. He has been present at the proceedings but he, like other witnesses, has been barred from speaking about it before he testifies. Bavaret doesn’t have a lawyer.

There is no indication that alcohol, drugs or health issues caused the accident.

The accident has raised serious questions about the towboat industry’s licensing system and the Coast Guard has been pressed by Congress to develop stricter regulations. No one was injured in the accident.

The in-depth Coast Guard proceeding that’s expected to last several more days serves as an evidence gathering tool after serious maritime accidents.

Once the hearing is over, the presiding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Melissa J. Harper, will issue recommendations on steps that can be taken to prevent future accidents like this one.

She could also recommend civil and criminal penalties against the people and companies involved. If criminal charges are filed, they would be handled by federal prosecutors.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.