Fourth of July Boat Accident: Capsizing Event Kills Two

Sadly, a pontoon boat carrying passengers on the Fourth of July capsized in Kentucky, killing two people and leaving three others missing.

According to CNN, the boat capsized on the Ohio River, outside of downtown Louisville. Aside from those missing or killed, three children and one adult were hospitalized with injuries. Most of the people aboard the vessel were members of the same family.

The incident happened near a bridge project on Interstate 65, CNN reported. The boat was reportedly pinned against a construction barge in the middle of the river when emergency officials arrived at the scene of the accident. Multiple agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene of the accident.

Two bodies were allegedly found at the accident site, including an adult man and a 14-year-old boy. Two adults, a man and a woman, as of last week, were still missing. The accident remains under investigation. CNN reported that someone captured the moments before the accident on video, showing the boat closing in on the barge, which was being used for the bridge construction project.

“At this point we are speculating that the boat may have been pinned against that staging barge and at some point capsized due to the current,” Louisville Fire Chief Greg Frederick said, according to CNN. It is unclear if alcohol contributed to the accident.

Our Maritime Attorneys Represent Capsizing Victims From Across the Country

It is sad to hear that these victims were affected by misfortune on the holiday. In a March blog post, we discussed why recreational boats capsize. Aside from vessels striking objects or other watercraft, boats can capsize because of collisions with rocks, docks, jetties, piers and sandbars.

If you have been injured in a capsizing incident or your loved one has died, you should speak to our maritime accident attorneys, who represent victims from across the country. In the video above, attorney David Anderson discusses the different injuries that boating accident victims have sustained in cases that we have handled.

Remember, if you have been harmed or your loved one has been killed in a boating accident, you may be entitled to damages, especially if negligence played a role in a crash. For more information about recreational boating accidents, visit our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Latti & Anderson LLPNationwide Maritime Attorneys

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/05/us/kentucky-boat-deaths/