Crime & Safety

Portsmouth FD Rescues 4 After Boating Accident

"These responders were able to locate the victims, start advanced medical treatment, move the patients to shore, and even transported the injured to Rhode Island Hospital; all in less than 1 hour," said Dep. Chief Michael P. O'Brien.

Portsmouth firefighters rescued four people who were injured after their boat struck a channel marker in the East Passage between Portsmouth and Prudence early Sunday morning.

Dep. Chief Michael P. O'Brien said PFD Marine 2, which is part of the Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force, was returning after responding to a fatal marine accident earlier that day north west of Patience Island. When the body of a missing Warwick boater was recovered, Marine 2 began heading back to Carnegie Abbey Marina.

At midnight, Portsmouth received a 911 call reporting someone screaming for help out in the bay. Just as Marine 2 was dispatched, the crew reported hearing someone in the water screaming for help.

A few minutes later, Marine 2 was on scene and saw a boat that had struck a channel marker. On board were two men and two women and all were hurt from the collision, including one man who was ejected from the boat and was struggling in the water.

The crew removed the man from the water, hauling him onto Marine 2. On the other vessel, two other victims had head injuries and one had a significant leg fracture. A fourth victim was hurt but refused medical treatment.

Since they were the only responders on scene, Portsmouth firefighters took control of the damaged vessel and went back to Carnegie Abbey Marina where incident commander Capt. Jim Sousa had staged three ambulances from Portsmouth, Bristol and Tiverton Fire Departments.

The three victims were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with fractures, cuts and blunt force trauma.

The state Department of Environmental Management took possession of the damaged boat.

"I would like to publicly commend Lieutenant Dan Smith, Firefighters Alden Brown, Brian Baker, and Andrew Jones for their heroic actions during this emergency," O'Brien said. "It is likely that there would have additional fatalities had they not taken the actions they did. These responders were able to locate the victims, start advanced medical treatment, move the patients to shore, and even transported the injured to Rhode Island Hospital; all in less than 1 hour. Their actions truly demonstrate the capabilities of Portsmouth Firefighters.  The outcome of this incident is a credit to their training, their preparation, and their 'can do' attitude."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.