Nanaimo boat accident leaves one man dead

[GLG]

Westwood Lake, Nanaimo B.C. where one man died in a fishing accident after his boat capsized Tuesday afternoon
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nanaimo-boat-accident-leaves-one-man-dead-1.2596368

A man airlifted to hospital unconscious after the boat in which he was fishing capsized Tuesday has now died.
Nainaimo firefighters pulled two elderly men from the waters of Westwood Lake following the accident.
One of the men was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital unconscious. The second man was conscious when taken to Nanaimo General Hospital by ground ambulance.
Assistant Fire Chief Greg Norman says the pair's boat capsized around 3 p.m. PT. He says two members of the public were assisting the victims when firefighters arrived.
"One fellow was fishing on a pontoon boat and the other fellow was on the shore, and the guy in the pontoon boat was holding on to the one guy who was unconscious, keeping him up," said Norman," and then the other fellow swam from the shore and tried to do as much as he could."

 

[Big Green Machine]

I don't think anyone knows what really happened to cause the boat to capsize, but when you do in a cartop tinny, you have to be really careful, especially older folks and even more importantly, when not wearing a pfd. That's why I bought the widest lake fishing boat you can get, and I'm only 49. I can stand up and lean over the gunnel and it will not tip. Sad I hope they recover and kudos to the brave dudes who tried to help.

 

[meatwagon]

I knew him. One of them was apparently reaching for a fishing rod & they both ended up in the drink. Not a newbie in a tin boat either, no alcohol involved, just a freaky reminder that life jackets save lives. I will no longer look at people wearing their pfd's as newbies or wimps.

 

[jeffywestcoast]

kinda weird, the morning that this happened I purchased an inflatable pfd.. just a sobering reminder how easily ones life can be lost. I would recommend and inflatable pfd to everyone, don't even know your wearing it but it could very well save your life.

 

[vetteman]

I knew him. One of them was apparently reaching for a fishing rod & they both ended up in the drink. Not a newbie in a tin boat either, no alcohol involved, just a freaky reminder that life jackets save lives. I will no longer look at people wearing their pfd's as newbies or wimps.

Why would you ever look at those wearing PFD's as a newbie or wimp?
Dave

 

[albernifisher]

My wife bought me a inflatable life jacket 4 years ago,never had it out of the bag. Something like this shows how quick things can go wrong, this will be my first year wearing a life jacket.

 

[meatwagon]

Why would you ever look at those wearing PFD's as a newbie or wimp?
Dave

Not a great choice of words, but I'm not the only who uses a life jacket as nothing more the a seat cushion. Things tend to affect us more when they hit close to home.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Does anyone know what the odds are of someone that actually knows what they are doing on the water drowning vs winning the lottery?

Not asking about kids or weekend warriors

I have lifejackets and inflatables on board but I have yet to see anyone on my boat put one on.

 

[Mako 22]

The older folks comment rings home. I am 67,still very active and fish a lot. However I have arthritis in the knees and I am losing some of my agility and quickness!!! I can easily see falling out of a tinny at my age.

Years ago I fished out of a 16 foot boat. Fell out of it once! Had one of the Stearns float vests on and it helped a lot.

Now I have a 22 foot Mako. You betcha I have a PFD on at all times. I wear a kayak style fishing PFD that has lots of floatation and pockets for the emergency stuff. I strap it on at the launch ramp before putting the boat in the water. Anyone that fishes with me will wear a PFD or stay on the dock.

 

[fishspoon]

falling out of the boat can happen to anyone on a small lake or in the ocean. I watched the tv news the other day that there was a sailor overboard from a large racing sailboat. It was a live shot of the video clip. Fortunately, he was rescued by a brave sailor and bought him onto the deck. Apparently, he was ok. The reason was that he was wearing his lifejacket!

 

[seadna]

Does anyone know what the odds are of someone that actually knows what they are doing on the water drowning vs winning the lottery?

Not asking about kids or weekend warriors

I have lifejackets and inflatables on board but I have yet to see anyone on my boat put one on.

Here's a report on drownings in Canada. But I can say that I read about a few cases every year of people who "knew what they were doing" drowning. E.g. each year I read of experienced fishermen drowning due to an unforeseen accident putting them in the water without a vest on. You are the captain on your boat. The reason why you have yet to see anyone on your boat put one on is because you neither set a good example nor require it. I never see anyone on my boat without a PFD on because I wear mine AND require everyone on my boat to do the same. It's that simple.

 

[coastalmarinesafety]

My wife bought me a inflatable life jacket 4 years ago,never had it out of the bag. Something like this shows how quick things can go wrong, this will be my first year wearing a life jacket.

Glad to hear you'll be wearing it this season. You'll find you will forget you're wearing it after a while, they are that comfortable. They only work if you wear them... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvRnAZQcbCY