A man from Pittsville, Wisconsin has died and a friend of his injured after their boat capsized in Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia on Friday.
According to John Bull, spokesperson for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 37 year old David Bromley, a keen recreational fisherman, was killed in the accident. Robert White, the owner and captain of the 25 foot recreational fishing vessel that the pair were on at the time of the accident, suffered a broken right arm.
The Virginia Coast Guard reports that officials were called at around 10.15pm on Friday night, after Bromley’s friends had attempted to give him CPR. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, Bromley was declared dead.
Captain Robert White was navigating his fishing vessel along a channel through Tangier Island, with no radar on, reports Bull. White and Bromley were part of a group of friends who were fishing around the island on three separate vessels. White did not realize that a 25 foot long steel pole, displaying a channel marker, was in the path of his vessel as darkness had already fallen. There was no warning lit on the channel marker, and White ran over the pole with the shipping boat, causing the boat to capsize. Bromley was trapped under the vessel and drowned, while White broke his arm in the incident.
“(Captain Robert White) believed that he was following the channel, and he did not see the channel marker because it was dark”, said Bull in his report to the media.
The exact circumstances surrounding the accident are still under investigation, to determine whether there were any factors that could have prevented this tragedy. According to Bull, however, the preliminary investigation shows that White was appropriately experienced and his vessel was well equipped and seaworthy. The incident will more than likely be determined to be an unfortunate accident, with no negligence or recklessness at play. However, there will be further investigation as to why the channel marker did not have the required warning light.
“Preliminary results at this point indicate that this was merely a very tragic accident, and a young man lost his life,” said Bull.
In Maryland this year, 184 marine accidents have occurred, 17 of which were fatal with 19 total deaths being reported, according to 2012 coast guard statistics. Delaware, in comparison, saw 10 marine accidents, 3 of them fatal with a total of 3 deaths in 2011.
