By Beth David
Editor
A cigarette boat owned by Robert Sullivan hit a rogue wave or water on a turn tossing five people into the water on Friday afternoon, 6/11.
Police and fire received calls at about 7:30 p.m. that someone was in the water. Harbormaster Timothy Cox said that a subsequent call directed him to Hoppy’s Landing because the people had managed to get back inside the boat.
The boat did not capsize.
Six people were in the boat, leaving one person to stop the vessel after the others were thrown overboard.
It is unclear if the captain was thrown overboard or not.
Some conflicting information arose with an official statement from the Environmental Police saying four people were ejected from the boat, but not the operator.
Local sources, however, say that five people were ejected. Both the Harbormaster and the Fairhaven Fire Department said five people were ejected, but one person had left the scene before officials got there.
Fairhaven Emergency Medical Service personnel talk to boaters at Hoppy’s Landing who were involved in a mishap on a cigarette boat Friday, 6/11. Photo by Beth David.
Three people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
“This could’ve been horrible,” said Mr. Cox. “They dodged a bullet.”
He said none of the passengers was wearing a life jacket.
“Everyone is fine,” wrote the mother of one of the passengers tossed overbaord, Caryn Hebert Sullivan, on ML Baron’s Facebook page. “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Sometimes a boater gets caught off guard with surprise waves.”
Click here to download the 6/16/16 issue in its entirety: 06-16-16 OrlandoVigil
