Investigators in a tragic multi-fatality fishing boat accident in Missouri over the weekend are looking at the load of the boat at the time of the accident, and other factors as possible causes.
The accident occurred in the Niangua River in the Lead Mine Conservation Area. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, a conservation agent responded to cries for help from the river on Friday night, and found a capsized boat. He also found the survivor of a boat accident clinging to the capsized vessel. The man was rushed to the hospital, but died later. Two other people were found dead at the scene of the boating accident. The victims included an 11-year-old boy, who happened to be the son of the third victim. There was a fourth victim of this boating accident, and it appeared that he had drowned responding to the other three persons.
Authorities believe that the man who been found alive and clinging to the capsized boat, had been in the water for about an hour before he was found. He was suffering from severe hypothermia by the time he was rescued, and was pronounced dead a short while later. All the other men had been found dead in the freezing water. According to the Highway Patrol, the temperature of the water was likely in the 30s. The State Water Patrol believes that the freezing temperature of the water likely contributed to the deaths of these men. A final report on the accident is expected next week.
Maritime lawyers can point to a number of lessons here for all people who are out on the water in such weather. The victims here were all wearing bulky clothes, which probably hampered their efforts at getting out of the water. Besides, none of them was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. The Water Patrol is looking at boatload, operator error, mechanical problems as well as weather conditions as possible factors in the accident.
