RC Boat Fatalities - News stories. PLEASE BE SAFE (updated 2-8-2011
03-13-2016, 11:58 PM
#51
July 11, 2015
Police have confirmed a body found in the Brisbane River last week was that of a man who had been reported missing after trying to retrieve a remote control boat on July 11.
Queensland Police on Friday completed a formal identification of the body found at Yeronga on July 15.
Police searching the river for the man on July 11. Photo: Jorge BrancoPolice said the Collingwood Park man was 40 years old, correcting a previous statement that the man was 44.
The death is not considered suspicious.
The man's disappearance on July 11 triggered a large search of the river involving police, SES and firefighters.
It was believed the man waded into the river from a boat ramp on the Brisbane Corso but was swept away, with his partner last sighting him between 200 and 400 metres west of the Somerville House Water Sports Facility.
Police have confirmed a body found in the Brisbane River last week was that of a man who had been reported missing after trying to retrieve a remote control boat on July 11.
Queensland Police on Friday completed a formal identification of the body found at Yeronga on July 15.
Police searching the river for the man on July 11. Photo: Jorge BrancoPolice said the Collingwood Park man was 40 years old, correcting a previous statement that the man was 44.The death is not considered suspicious.
The man's disappearance on July 11 triggered a large search of the river involving police, SES and firefighters.
It was believed the man waded into the river from a boat ramp on the Brisbane Corso but was swept away, with his partner last sighting him between 200 and 400 metres west of the Somerville House Water Sports Facility.
03-14-2016, 12:00 AM
#52
June 15, 2015
AURORA: A 55-year-old Bedford man has been identified as the drowning victim Saturday evening at Sunny Lake Park in Aurora.
Portage County coroner’s chief investigator Thomas Decker said Monday that Howard Kutchmark drowned in a lake at the park.
“We just looked to see if there was any medical reason that would have caused him to die before drowning,” Decker said. “We could not find one. My guess is he probably got fatigued and ended up under water.”
Aurora Fire Chief David Barnes said Kutchmark, his sister and brother-in-law were at the lake Saturday operating two remote control boats, when there was a problem with one of the boats.
“Kutchmark swam out to see about the boat, when he didn’t return his family thought he swam to another shore and took a walking trail back to where they were gathered,” Barnes said “They went looking for him and called when they couldn’t find him.”
Relatives called for help around 9:45 p.m.
“We searched with sonar units until about 1 a.m., police secured the park and then we came back in the morning to search in the daylight,” Barnes said.
The body was recovered about 1 p.m. Sunday.
Barnes said there is no swimming allowed at the 14 acre city-owned park. It is a fishing lake and recreation area.
Kutchmark’s body was discovered about 200 yards into the lake.
Barnes said about 25 to 30 people helped from several agencies in the recovery, including the Aurora Fire Department, Aurora Police Department, Ohio Division of Watercraft and the Cuyahoga County Southwest Emergency Response Team.
AURORA: A 55-year-old Bedford man has been identified as the drowning victim Saturday evening at Sunny Lake Park in Aurora.
Portage County coroner’s chief investigator Thomas Decker said Monday that Howard Kutchmark drowned in a lake at the park.
“We just looked to see if there was any medical reason that would have caused him to die before drowning,” Decker said. “We could not find one. My guess is he probably got fatigued and ended up under water.”
Aurora Fire Chief David Barnes said Kutchmark, his sister and brother-in-law were at the lake Saturday operating two remote control boats, when there was a problem with one of the boats.
“Kutchmark swam out to see about the boat, when he didn’t return his family thought he swam to another shore and took a walking trail back to where they were gathered,” Barnes said “They went looking for him and called when they couldn’t find him.”
Relatives called for help around 9:45 p.m.
“We searched with sonar units until about 1 a.m., police secured the park and then we came back in the morning to search in the daylight,” Barnes said.
The body was recovered about 1 p.m. Sunday.
Barnes said there is no swimming allowed at the 14 acre city-owned park. It is a fishing lake and recreation area.
Kutchmark’s body was discovered about 200 yards into the lake.
Barnes said about 25 to 30 people helped from several agencies in the recovery, including the Aurora Fire Department, Aurora Police Department, Ohio Division of Watercraft and the Cuyahoga County Southwest Emergency Response Team.
05-05-2016, 01:05 PM
#53
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Tacoma, Wa
Posts: 555
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok i know that i will get flack for this but still. I get that these people lost their lives and it IS VERY tragic that they died in the name of trying to have fun but why is it so hard to wear a life jacket? I feel like this thread (even though i doubt that was the intent at all) kinda sorta makes the boats the ones at fault which i don't feel is true. I really don't want to see another witch hunt like the one that's currently going on with the drones vs model planes issue. You can get killed doing just about anything these day, hell every time i lay a finger on my street bike i take my life, not only into my own hands, but also I am forced to put it in the hands of other drivers. For this reason i wear protective gear because if i didn't it would make me a fool! It's sad that these families had to go through this as i know first hand how horrible it can be to lose family in any sort of accident. When my uncle died in a car crash 8 years ago did i blame Chevy for making a sports car that can do 140 mph? No! As much as it hurts to say out loud i blame my uncle for being foolish enough to not wear a seat belt while driving that fast which the coroner said that likely would have saved him. I loved him very much and miss him dearly but he should be ashamed for how much it hurt the family to lose him like that at only 27 years old over acting dumb. My Grandma still cries after almost a decade because she bought him the car as a birthday present
My point is that you should be responsible enough to take the extra minute to think things through and be safe not only to spare yourself but the people who care for you. Don't blame the toys, blame the irresponsible ones that use them. Tear me up if you like but that's how i feel about this kind of thing.
My point is that you should be responsible enough to take the extra minute to think things through and be safe not only to spare yourself but the people who care for you. Don't blame the toys, blame the irresponsible ones that use them. Tear me up if you like but that's how i feel about this kind of thing.
05-05-2016, 01:30 PM
#54
Nobody ever said that it was a boats fault. It's not a firearms fault that it was used to murder somebody with.
These threads were started when I was still one of 2 boating forums Mod's here. These are merely informative threads and postings to make people aware what the consequences can be if you don't think ahead while out running our boats. I go prepared with a fishing pole and a rowboat. I know the water where I run and what my capabilities are. I don't swim after dead boats and rarely go more than knee-deep to get one on foot.
We simply can not explain the actions of those who died. The price of a most isn't more than a life. Uneducated people don't know how fast hypothermia can set in and the water doesn't have to be as cold as some think. River water moves faster than it appears to which is why I tell people not to run their boats in rivers.
Some of the best swimmers around have drowned. We've had people near me who didn't know what was under the surface and got tangled in weeds not 20 feet from shore and went under.
We're not RC cars and trucks. We're not planes and helicopters although I know there have been bad injuries and deaths from them. You can die climbing out of bed in the morning but if you can prevent it you can.
We see these losses as those than could have been prevented. We see traffic accidents every day that shouldn't have happened.
These threads were started when I was still one of 2 boating forums Mod's here. These are merely informative threads and postings to make people aware what the consequences can be if you don't think ahead while out running our boats. I go prepared with a fishing pole and a rowboat. I know the water where I run and what my capabilities are. I don't swim after dead boats and rarely go more than knee-deep to get one on foot.
We simply can not explain the actions of those who died. The price of a most isn't more than a life. Uneducated people don't know how fast hypothermia can set in and the water doesn't have to be as cold as some think. River water moves faster than it appears to which is why I tell people not to run their boats in rivers.
Some of the best swimmers around have drowned. We've had people near me who didn't know what was under the surface and got tangled in weeds not 20 feet from shore and went under.
We're not RC cars and trucks. We're not planes and helicopters although I know there have been bad injuries and deaths from them. You can die climbing out of bed in the morning but if you can prevent it you can.
We see these losses as those than could have been prevented. We see traffic accidents every day that shouldn't have happened.
05-05-2016, 01:54 PM
#55
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Tacoma, Wa
Posts: 555
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know that no one has said directly that the boats are to blame, had that been the case my post would have been more flame than it was. Please understand that i'm not against what this post is attempting to do because i also advocate safety as well! I just remember that this was how it has started with a lot of the fun stuff that got banned because people were too dumb to handle it. People get to talking about the dangers of a product and soon you have a lobby of "concerned/nosy" mothers who think their opinion should be inflicted on everyone and unfortunately succeed. Good example of that was the Yamaha banshee. Yamaha can't sell or even make them because people got careless with what was essentially RTR race bike and got them selves killed or worse and ya it sucks that they did that but should that make it so that no one can have one especially those that have the skill to handle it? Another is the 3 wheeler. Were they death machines? Of course! But did that give the government the right to say you cant even register them anymore essentially making them illegal? IMO nope! The list could go on forever, i honestly just don't wanna see anything else taken from those who respect what they have due to someone else's negligence if that makes sense.
05-06-2016, 01:22 PM
#56
My thought behind this thread and the various tragic updates I have added is really just to raise awareness within the community that we must always exercise care and judgement when we boat and turn up at the lake with a retrieval plan in mind before the boat stops in the middle of the lake. And if it does - we need to let it go instead of swim for it.
I heard from someone this week regarding this thread and it left a mark with him. One lost boater is one too many for this small passionate community.
There are a million ways to die - retrieving your RC boat should not be one of them!!
I heard from someone this week regarding this thread and it left a mark with him. One lost boater is one too many for this small passionate community.
There are a million ways to die - retrieving your RC boat should not be one of them!!
06-25-2018, 07:08 AM
#60
Sounds like another case of someone underestimating the dangers of cold water. Hyperthermia and cramping due to cold water are nothing to take a chance against when it comes to going after an R/C model. As has been reported repeatedly, cold water can kill regardless of how good of swimmer someone thinks they are. A cheap rubber raft and a life jacket would be a good way to stay relatively dry and alive
Last edited by Hydro Junkie; 06-25-2018 at 07:13 AM.
10-22-2018, 06:56 AM
#62
Been running boats for years number one you don't go on the water without a life jacket. Sounds like the process of natural selection at its most basic level. There is no excuse. I also fly float planes but not without proper support equipment like a canoe/boat and proper life jackets. I paddle white water, I am a trip leader for wilderness trips and at no time do I or any of my team go on the water without life jackets period. Doesn't mater how good a swimmer you are a cramp can make it impossible to swim, an injury can make it impossible to keep your head above water in places you could normally wade safely.
Dennis
Dennis
10-22-2018, 07:51 AM
#63
Sad thing is that now more than ever there are new boaters with the surge in popularity with fast electrics. Safety awareness is critical.
That being said - sad to read another boater paying the ultimate price for his boat in September.
And a model plane pilot in August
Author: Matthew Nuttle
Published: 5:29 PM PDT August 28, 2018
Updated: 5:30 PM PDT August 28, 2018An elderly South Lake Tahoe man drowned trying to retrieve a model airplane that crashed into the lake, police say.
Officers were called out to the lake around 11:30 a.m. after someone reported seeing a life jacket floating in the water about 200 yards off Light House Shores.
Police responded by boat and discovered the victim, 74-year-old Robert Hill, floating face down, still wearing the yellow life jacket. Rescuers pulled Hill from the water and started CPR. Hill was transported to Barton Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, Hill left his home in the Tahoe Keys around 8:30 a.m. to fly his model airplane on the Light House Shores Beach. When the plane crashed into the lake, Hill went in, wearing a life jacket, to try and retrieve it.
An official cause of death has not been determined, however, police say no foul play is suspected, nor do they believe alcohol or drugs played a factor.
The case remains under investigation.
That being said - sad to read another boater paying the ultimate price for his boat in September.
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) - On Sunday, September 9th around 2:30 pm the Fond du Lac Police along with Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue were called to a possible drowning in the "Big Hole" area of the Fond du Lac Marina near the Yacht Club.
The victim, who passed away yesterday, September 11th, was 47-year-old Daniel Thompson of Fond du Lac. He passed away at St. Agnes Hospital as a result of this incident.
Witnesses were able to pull Thompson out of the water and administer CPR and he was then transported to the hospital.
Officers were able to determine with the help of witnesses that Thompson had been on shore operating a remote controlled boat in the marina area when the boat lost power. Thompson swam out in to retrieve the boat but it continued to get pushed further away due to winds and currents. He turned around and swam back to shore when he went under.
An autopsy by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner determined the preliminary cause of death to be consistent with fresh water drowning.
The victim, who passed away yesterday, September 11th, was 47-year-old Daniel Thompson of Fond du Lac. He passed away at St. Agnes Hospital as a result of this incident.
Witnesses were able to pull Thompson out of the water and administer CPR and he was then transported to the hospital.
Officers were able to determine with the help of witnesses that Thompson had been on shore operating a remote controlled boat in the marina area when the boat lost power. Thompson swam out in to retrieve the boat but it continued to get pushed further away due to winds and currents. He turned around and swam back to shore when he went under.
An autopsy by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner determined the preliminary cause of death to be consistent with fresh water drowning.
Elderly man drowns in Lake Tahoe trying to retrieve model plane
Police responded by boat and discovered the victim, 74-year-old Robert Hill, floating face down, still wearing a yellow life jacket.Author: Matthew Nuttle
Published: 5:29 PM PDT August 28, 2018
Updated: 5:30 PM PDT August 28, 2018An elderly South Lake Tahoe man drowned trying to retrieve a model airplane that crashed into the lake, police say.
Officers were called out to the lake around 11:30 a.m. after someone reported seeing a life jacket floating in the water about 200 yards off Light House Shores.
Police responded by boat and discovered the victim, 74-year-old Robert Hill, floating face down, still wearing the yellow life jacket. Rescuers pulled Hill from the water and started CPR. Hill was transported to Barton Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, Hill left his home in the Tahoe Keys around 8:30 a.m. to fly his model airplane on the Light House Shores Beach. When the plane crashed into the lake, Hill went in, wearing a life jacket, to try and retrieve it.
An official cause of death has not been determined, however, police say no foul play is suspected, nor do they believe alcohol or drugs played a factor.
The case remains under investigation.
07-15-2020, 04:51 AM
#64
Yes,never go into the water and if you do have a life vest on.I prefer a class 3 vest.I wear one even when I'm fishing from shore. Life is too short without ending it because of an r/c boat or airplane.You can use as mentioned a fishing pole,another r/c boat or canoe or kayak.I used a fishing pole once when my r/c boat stalled on a narrow,slow moving river and probably chased that thing about a mile before hooking onto it with the tennis ball and fishing rod.I then got an inflatable boat and used it on a pond,but that wore me out going out and back. I then decided to build a motor out of a weedeater and put that on.Much better,but wasn't very fast.Even with the inflatable I still wore the vest.
07-16-2020, 03:52 AM
#66
I found a metal prop later,but never tested it as I sold the whole setup. It was a Minkota 6" trolling prop and might give a little more speed on an actual electric trolling motor.It was better than rowing and didn't wear my arms out.I later got a Cruise n Carry 1.5 hp outboard motor but never got another boat to put it on.
12-21-2020, 01:23 AM
#67
Published August 17, 2020
https://www.cbs58.com/news/man-drown...e-control-boat
HARTFORD, Wis (AP) — Police in southeastern Wisconsin said a 28-year-old man has drowned in a pond while trying to recover a remote control boat.
Hartford police were called Saturday afternoon to the downtown mill pond about a man in distress in the water. Officers saw the victim go under the water’s surface but did not see him resurface.
A police officer entered the water to try to find the victim but could not locate him. Crews later pulled the man from the water. His name was not immediately released.
Witnesses say the man had entered the pond to try to recover a remote control boat that was sinking.
https://www.cbs58.com/news/man-drown...e-control-boat
HARTFORD, Wis (AP) — Police in southeastern Wisconsin said a 28-year-old man has drowned in a pond while trying to recover a remote control boat.
Hartford police were called Saturday afternoon to the downtown mill pond about a man in distress in the water. Officers saw the victim go under the water’s surface but did not see him resurface.
A police officer entered the water to try to find the victim but could not locate him. Crews later pulled the man from the water. His name was not immediately released.
Witnesses say the man had entered the pond to try to recover a remote control boat that was sinking.
10-12-2022, 12:25 AM
#68
MONROE, Mich. – A 49-year-old man drowned at a Monroe park after he jumped into the water to retrieve a remote controlled boat, officials said.
Frenchtown Township firefighters and Monroe County deputies were called at 7:18 p.m. Monday (Oct. 10) to a swimming area in the Sterling State Park in Monroe.
Police said they received reports that Corey Michael Carrabino, 49, of Monroe, had been seen in the water, yelling for help and struggling to stay afloat.
Carrabino went into the water to retrieve his remote controlled boat, which had become disabled, according to officials.
When authorities arrived, they couldn’t find Carrabino, and they determined that he might have gone underwater about 300 feet off shore. Monroe County divers and drones searched the area until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The search resumed Tuesday, and Carrabino’s body was found around 12:55 p.m. Divers said he was in about eight feet of water and about 50 yards from the shore.
Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-240-7530.
Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Frenchtown Township firefighters and Monroe County deputies were called at 7:18 p.m. Monday (Oct. 10) to a swimming area in the Sterling State Park in Monroe.
Police said they received reports that Corey Michael Carrabino, 49, of Monroe, had been seen in the water, yelling for help and struggling to stay afloat.
Carrabino went into the water to retrieve his remote controlled boat, which had become disabled, according to officials.
When authorities arrived, they couldn’t find Carrabino, and they determined that he might have gone underwater about 300 feet off shore. Monroe County divers and drones searched the area until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The search resumed Tuesday, and Carrabino’s body was found around 12:55 p.m. Divers said he was in about eight feet of water and about 50 yards from the shore.
Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-240-7530.
Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
10-12-2022, 08:46 AM
#69
So, now the question is:
- did he cramp up and became unable to swim?
- did he get too tired to keep swimming?
- was the water cold enough that it affected his ability to swim?
07-17-2023, 02:10 PM
#70
Junior Member
I hope people are still reading these posts, very important.
Build a cheap rescue boat, if it gets lost, you’ll still be able to walk away to play another day.
Build a cheap rescue boat, if it gets lost, you’ll still be able to walk away to play another day.
The following users liked this post:
Justaddwata (07-22-2023)
