CLEVELAND — A good Samaritan rescued two adults and two children from a capsized boat in Lake Erie Sunday morning, and the Coast Guard transported them to Toledo, Ohio, to awaiting emergency medical services.
A search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Detroit received notification from a good Samaritan reporting a vessel taking on water with two adults and two children aboard near the Toledo Harbor Light in Lake Erie at 10:45 a.m., Sunday morning. The reporting source then witnessed the vessel capsize, sending all four people into the water.
The four boaters were wearing life jackets.
Rescue boatcrews from Coast Guard Station Toledo launched aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small and a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water.
The good Samaritan was able to rescue the four people from the water and then transferred them to the 24-foot SPC-SW.
The rescue boatcrew transported the four people to Station Toledo where there were evaluated by EMS for hypothermia and then released in good condition without medical treatment.
A commercial salvor towed the capsized vessel to safety.
“The Coast Guard was able to rescue these people because of the quickness of the good Samaritan,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Hovland, coxswain of the SPC-SW. “He did the right thing and called the Coast Guard before he knew they would be capsized.”
“It was also a good thing they had on life jackets, because it is easier to wear one than to put one on during an emergency.”
The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to be prepared in case of an emergency by ensuring that everyone aboard is wearing a life jacket. When a boater enters the water, they generally do so unexpectedly. A life jacket can only save your life if you’re wearing it.
The Coast Guard also reminds boaters to be aware of weather conditions and water temperature. Prepare for changes in weather and always remember to dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature.
