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Injured Woman Drowns During Rescue

M

mwood7800

Well-known member
A rescue boat taking an injured woman to an ambulance capsized in a river, trapping the woman beneath the overturned boat, where she drowned, authorities said.

Virginia Yates, 60, of Rockingham, Vt., had slipped on a dock Tuesday afternoon and was being taken to a hospital for treatment, said Sgt. Craig Morrocco of the Fish and Game Department.

A fire and rescue crew from Cornish, N.H., brought a new flat-bottomed airboat and strapped her onto a backboard.

But as the boat headed to a waiting ambulance, it started taking on water and capsized, Morrocco said.

"Emergency services personnel were unable to recover Miss Yates until some time later," said Marc Hathaway, Sullivan County attorney.

None of the fire and rescue crew members were reported injured.

The accident will be investigated by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol, Morrocco said.
 
Very Sad story. My heart goes out to her family.


Anyone know what kind of airboat it was? Open Hull? Deck over? any details? I e-mailed the editor of the story but no response yet.
 
I wonder if they forgot to put the plugs in when they put it in the water that would not be the first time that has happend, I just hate the fact that the lady died it will be interesting to find out what was the cause and I think this is the very reason that these rescue crews need to be certified before they start using Airboats. when I was at Diamondback having my new motor put in they had just finished repairing a rescue boat that a PD had in New Jersey they sunk it the first time the went to use it on a rescue and did a lot of damage and it was due to opperator error, I think it would be a good idea that maybe Faron,Brian Edwards and I set up something to start training these people when they get there boats because these kind of things can give the public the wrong preception about Airboats for Rescue use.
 
This is one of the main reasons we fight with people who want seat belts in their airboats. You should not be strapped down to anything in an any type of boat!

We offer free training at our water front facility to every person who buys a boat and we offer training anywhere to anyone for a small fee.

I urge every rescue department to let us send a trained proffesional to train them or to at least seek training elsewhere before putting their boat into use.
I spent a few years on the fire department and I know how important training is.
 
yep just cause they can buy em don't mean they can drive em. Training is a must for sure. 99% of the time in the seat is gettin ready for the 1% that counts, there is no redo or time out. when its game on you better know how to play it. All the stuff we do with our boats is really just getting to know it and what it can do and won't do. At least for me anyways.
 
Country

I agree with you 100% and I am seeing more and more agencies geting a boat and sinking them or damageing them right off the bat so I think training is a must. Feron are you based in Florida or Texas, I think I would like to work with you on this before it starts happening more often
 
WOW that suc&$ I can hear the foot steps of a herd lawyers already. First they will go after the rescue dept but will eventually work their way back to the airboat manufacture.
 
ive live in fl sence 88 but from NH and i no people from there are a little slow but come on how ties an old lady to a airboat
 
I'm with Sniper, I heard stories about the Sherriff and FWC getting an airboat in place of a kicker boat and going out on the airboat and not know the first thing how to drive one.
 
By Associated Press | August 24, 2006

CHARLESTOWN, N.H. -- A rescue boat crew made several unsuccessful attempts to free an injured woman when their boat capsized on the Connecticut River yesterday, authorities said. The woman was trapped underneath and drowned.
Virginia Yates, 64, of Rockingham, Vt., was stepping on a dock when she slipped Tuesday, injured her head, and fell into the river, said Sergeant Craig Morrocco of the Fish and Game Department.

A fire and rescue crew from Cornish brought Yates onto their brand-new, flat-bottomed airboat and strapped her onto a backboard. But as the boat headed to a waiting ambulance at a landing, it started taking on water and capsized, Morrocco said.

``She was strapped to the backboard, and she was strapped into a gurney," a standard precautionary measure, said Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway.

The crew made several attempts to save Yates, officials said yesterday. The crew members were rescued by a passing boat, and Yates's body was recovered an hour later.

The boat remained stuck in the mud at the bottom of the river yesterday. Divers will try to dislodge it today.

Officials said Yates was conscious when the rescue boat arrived at the dock.

Five people were on board the boat when it sank. Officials say the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the boat are under investigation.

Yates's friends said they don't know why she needed to be strapped in.

``Why would you take a 64-year-old lady that's got a little bump on the head and a strained ankle and strap her into a situation where if there was an accident, she couldn't get out?" said her friend Tracy Snide.

Edgar Emerson of Bellows Falls, Vt., said he and Yates were on their way to visit friends when she slipped getting out of his pontoon boat and onto a dock on the Vermont side of the river.

Emerson said people persuaded him to call 911. ``She didn't want to go in the ambulance. She didn't want to be rescued," he told the Rutland (Vt.) Herald.

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
 
Oh man. That is gonna be one he** of a lawsuit.
The words "brand new" stand out like they were written in neon.

Call me Faron. I'm in.

olf
 
Should be an easy one to win for her family. Just because they were officials doesn't give them the right to be careless/reckless with anothers life. what a shame
 
I talked to a good friend yester day and he told me a lot of these Agencies getting Airboat either won't pay for the proper training or are to hard headed to listen when some one tell them that knows what they need to know such was the case with the one that sunk in New Jersey but I bet the training is a whole lot cheaper than a law suit or killing some on because you did not listen to reason. I think a lot of these people think that Airboats are just like any other boat and that is a big missconseption the only thing the same is the word boat and the both go in water to me these agencies buying an Airboat with out some good training is the same a Buying an Airplane with out flight training it's just stupid and wreckless.
 
Even the Military that buys airboats buys training along with them. Ask Faron about that.

Wonder if they would buy an airplane then let just any employee ferry them around in it with no pilots license or training?

Scotty
 
Anybody can sue for anything and you can bet if litigation begins it will involve every agency, manufacturer, person, etc, etc. that was involved with that boat.
 
Looks to me like there was too much weight on the front and with the 5 rescue personnel and her on the front, it probably submarined when he gave it throttle. Would love to see the boat for myself though. I will follow this story and keep folks informed.
 
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