When a small jon boat capsized in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday, one of the three people on board was airlifted to safety by a Maryland State Police helicopter.
The three adult boaters went into the water on Saturday, July, 19 around 5 p.m. The Bay District Volunteer Fire Department tells us the victims in the water were not wearing life jackets, and were clinging to fish traps about 300 yards off the shore as their overturned jon boat floated away. Someone on the shore spotted them and called for help.
Maryland State Police Aviation Command overheard the call from St. Mary’s County emergency dispatchers. The state police helicopter Trooper 7 launched to help with finding and possibly hoisting the boaters, if necessary.
Bay District led the emergency response and determined that Trooper 7’s crew could reach the victims faster than the closest fireboat could arrive. The closest available rescue boat would be launching from Solomons Island, about 20-30 minutes away. When Trooper 7 arrived, the rescue boat was still 15 minutes out.
Bay District VFD Chief Jason Turner tells us, “We didn’t know if the people could swim or how long they’d been in the water. We wanted to get them out of the water as quickly as possible, and get medical attention handled if necessary.”
The state police helicopter hovered over the three boaters and deployed a rescue basket, hoisting one person into the aircraft. Watch this time-lapse video of the hoist, captured by Bay District’s dashcam:
Thankfully, the victim they hoisted didn’t require immediate medical attention. The Trooper 7 crew landed so the boater could be checked out by a waiting ambulance if needed, and reunited with family.
By that time, a fireboat from the Solomons Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad had arrived at the scene and was able to rescue the other two victims directly from the water without another helicopter hoist. There were no injuries reported to any of the three boaters.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the jon boat to overturn, sending the three into the water. Maryland Natural Resources Police are investigating. Chief Turner says it was a clear day with about 1-foot swells and the wind was 5-10kts. However, he points out, “Depending which direction the wind is coming from, “you could be fine, or the wind could eat you alive.”
