Boat Collision in Patapsco River

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rehkopf

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BALTIMORE (AP) _ The Coast Guard says it rescued four people from a boat near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore over the weekend.

A good Samaritan saw the 40-foot recreational vessel strike a piling near the bridge and notified the Coast Guard about 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

The Coast Guard says a response boat was sent to the scene and rescued the four boaters. All four were being taken to emergency medical services personnel. Their conditions were not known.

Maryland Natural Resources Police, and the Baltimore County police and fire departments assisted with the rescue.
 
A term I didn't know most of my life and I have a decent vocabulary.

ALLISION (maritime) The act of striking a fixed object, compare collision: the act of striking another vessel

Just a tidbit. Lord Willing no serious injuries let alone subsequent fatalities.
 
How the hell do you hit a piling so fast that people in a 40' would need rescue???

Would be Intersting to know whichbwaybthey were going, if heading back towards the city the lights reflecting on the water would have made it easy to see unlit markers.

Unless of course they had a bunch of lights around the helm and the electronics on full bright! I am always amazed to see how many boats I see running at night with un dimmed electronics, destroying their night vision
 
+ 1 Pascal
My dash lights are not on a dimmer, and they are white. On occasion when running the narrow Cumberland River at night I used a towel to cover them. Can't turn them off because I needed my depthfinder.
My real pet peeve concerning lights are (we're covered this before) headlights, :-) which are as most of us know are really docking lights. Pontoon manufacturers like those fiberglass enclosed - all in one dock/nav light combo. And I cringe when I see what looks like a 59 Chrysler's headlights coming toward me, or away, or just what are those lights anyway . . . .low in the water . . .not a chance in hell of seeing a red or green till they pass.
There I got that off my chest, TY.
 
well at least most docking lights are aimed low, so they're not too bad. but spotlights? dont' get me started on jerks who think their spotlight is the marine equivalent to cars headlights!!!!
 
Replaced the "194" lamps in my Faria gauges with red ones. Oddly, red was less expensive than clear/white at the auto supply. But the GPS and DepthFinder don't go as dim as I'd like them to be.
 
quote:
Originally posted by PascalG

How the hell do you hit a piling so fast that people in a 40' would need rescue???

Click to expand...


Edit: This is what I get for making a guess from 1,200 miles away. According to a post below the accident didn't happen at the FSK bridge.

There are 4 large cement pilings (at least 30 feet in diameter) around that bridge; 2 north and 2 south. I've always guessed they're to protect the bridge if a cargo ship got out of the channel. I do not think they are lighted. However, the captain would have really had to screw up to hit them. I'm just guessing as while that's not very far at all from our home slip, we're in FL right now.

Here's a Google Maps view:

http://g.co/maps/zhxmg
 
Turns out that the 40 footer was actually over by the piers at Sparrows Point and was cutting too close to the pier.

Two to Shock Trauma, another not seriously hurt.

Kudos to two young fishermen who heard the crash, called in the Mayday and sent up flares. USCG says they saved lives.

I hear that it was the operator's first night run.
 
Just a side note which has little to do with the accident. Actually, its a question or observation about Maryland's EMS. Why does Maryland refer to their acute trauma centers as "shock trauma" while the rest of the EMS world that I am familiar with just calls such facilities "trauma centers"? I know what shock is (extremely low blood pressure resulting resulting from trauma). Just wondering. I guess its another MEMS thing.
 
I know the Sparrow's Point area pretty well, having had my boat at Anchor Bay East up Bear Creek. a few times for extended periods, There are all sorts of random hazards and shoals around there to nab the un-diligent. At night I can see where it would be particularly confusing with the multitude of on-shore lights, including the steel mill, and different channels. I'd be going slooooow around there at night that's for sure.
 
quote:
Originally posted by MikeeH

Just a side note which has little to do with the accident. Actually, its a question or observation about Maryland's EMS. Why does Maryland refer to their acute trauma centers as "shock trauma" while the rest of the EMS world that I am familiar with just calls such facilities "trauma centers"? I know what shock is (extremely low blood pressure resulting resulting from trauma). Just wondering. I guess its another MEMS thing.

Click to expand...


I'm guessing it's because they were the first of such centers? It's been one thing MD has been doing right for many, many years.
 
Kurt,

MEMS was a leader in the development of trauma response and treatment in the early 1990's but I just never figured out why they call it "shock trauma" rather than "trauma center". When I hear residents say someone was taken to "shock trauma" it makes me think that there is only one such facility in the state or that every hospital has that capability. No big deal; just a weird nomenclature for a guy who was deeply involved in EMS outside of MD. (Kind of like when one of my local hospitals in PA wanted us all to refer to their Emergency facility as the ED instead of ER. It was a functionally correct acronym but just never stuck.)
 
Mike,

I think it's just a local thing. Rather like "going down the ocean" in Baltimore-speak means "I'm going to Ocean City". And "how 'bout dem birds" meaning "how about the Orioles". :-)
 
quote:
Originally posted by MikeeH

Kurt,

LOL! Yep! Safe trip back.

Click to expand...


Thanks. We'll be towing back this Saturday. I've got some work to do on the boat while she's on the hard in MD and then we'll be back in the crappy brown waters for another 11 months before seeing "blue" again. We're lucky we can do this trip.

Perhaps this year we can make it to SP and toss some food on that kick-butt grill of yours. Is there enough water near your dock to anchor? I know you'd let me tie up, but there's better air-flow at anchor. I need 2 feet. 3-4 is better. Do the locals water ski and stuff on plane in front of your house, or are the waters usually calm?
 
quote:
Originally posted by MikeeH

Kurt,

MEMS was a leader in the development of trauma response and treatment in the early 1990's but I just never figured out why they call it "shock trauma" rather than "trauma center". When I hear residents say someone was taken to "shock trauma" it makes me think that there is only one such facility in the state or that every hospital has that capability. No big deal; just a weird nomenclature for a guy who was deeply involved in EMS outside of MD. (Kind of like when one of my local hospitals in PA wanted us all to refer to their Emergency facility as the ED instead of ER. It was a functionally correct acronym but just never stuck.)

Click to expand...


Mike, you're pretty much on the mark.

Actually, Maryland was on the forefront of emergency medicine long before the '90s. "Shock Trauma" probably would be better represented with a hyphen between the two, since the center specialized in treatment of shock AND trauma cases, which aren't always the same thing.

As an EMT (in addition to all my other hats) originally from PA, "Shock Trauma" was a bit foreign to me as well. But having had to run many a patient there over the years as a Maryland provider, I get it now.

Back to the accident. Birdie tells me that boat operator may have been under the influence. Still waiting for confirmation on that. Boat remains under wraps at Anchor Bay, where MNR police and insurance guys have been all week.
 
Agee Mike, but knowing the other trauma centers in MD., It would be stenciled on mu underwear" Shock-Trauma" please!! I have worked on the other side of the curtain there (oper. rm ) and the only thing I didn't like, was they wear PINK scrubs. It is a statement there of where you work.
 
Mike, in wheeling, the E.D. was called "EMSTAR". Short for emergency medical shock, trauma and resuscitation. EMSTAR was easier!
 
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