Crew involved in rescue, l to r, crew members
David M. Triplett, David H. Daniel, and, Coxswain Robert J. Pape.
Crew involved in rescue, l to r, crew members David M. Triplett, David H. Daniel, and, Coxswain Robert J. Pape. |
Anticipating another routine patrol on Saturday, September 27, 2008, the crew aboard Auxiliary Operational Facility “Dan Jam ” witnessed a boating accident. The Auxiliarists from Flotilla 14-3, Palm Coast, Florida, Robert J. Pape, coxswain, and crew members David M. Triplett and David H. Daniel were moving north on the Intracoastal W aterway (ICW).
A small outboard powered boat with a man and a woman on board collided with ICW Marker 99 near Marineland, FL . Neither person was wearing a life jacket. The woman was sitting in the bow seat of the boat . Her position may have blocked the view of the man driving the boat.
During the collision the man was ejected into the water. The woman, still on board the vessel, was slumped over and appeared to be unconscious.
 “Dan Jam” Operational Facility from Palm Coast, Flotilla 14-3 owned by Crew Member David H. Daniel |
The boat, still under power, was now a runaway and circling, which complicated the rescue. The boat eventually beached itself.
The man was recovered from the water and transported to a private dock near the beached boat and handed off to local Emergency Medical Services. The wom an was transported by helicopter to Florida Hospital, Flagler, but tragically lost her life as a result of this accident.
Without a doubt the person in the water, who was not wearing a life jacket, may have suffered further injury or loss of life had it not been for the skill and exceptional competence of the Auxiliary crew. Coxswain Pape and crew members Triplett and Daniel demonstrated outstanding skill in performing a rescue of the person in the water, bringing him on board and tending to his minor cuts and bruises.
~HRW