HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico Fire officials are reminding boaters of safety tips ahead of the weekend following an accident on the James River Thursday night.
Four people were rescued from a boat after it washed ashore near Falling Creek just before 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 20.
“[It was] a small pleasure craft around 16 to 18 foot, four souls on board. [There were] two adults, two children,” said Shawn Williams, Captain of Logistics for Henrico Fire.
Williams was among the multiple crews called to locate the boat that hit the Henrico side of the James River near the Pocahontas Parkway bridge.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS deployed a drone to aid in the search and found that all four of the boat’s occupants were uninjured. They were then brought to safety nearby.
Williams said the search to find out why this happened is now underway.
“Conservation police plus some other maritime law enforcement will be doing an investigation,” Williams said.
Williams explained that with temperatures being on the rise, more people will be hitting the water in the coming weeks. With that, will come an increase in watercraft incidents just like the one they responded to on Thursday night.
He warns people to be careful of the possible dangers that can lie beneath the surface of the James River.
“If you haven’t been there before, proceed with caution. Even if you have been there before, especially after heavy rains or storms that have moved through, assume there’s something underneath the water that you can’t see and be prepared to react to that,” Williams said.
He also urges boaters to do what they can to be prepared before danger hits.
“Have your appropriate Coast Guard approved life vests — for all the individuals who will be on board — your appropriate signaling devices, a radio if your boat requires that based on its size, cell phones, have a map. If at all possible, know how to read the water and read the river and know how to tell people where you’re at if you get into an incident,” Williams said.
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico Fire officials are reminding boaters of safety tips ahead of the weekend following an accident on the James River Thursday night.
Four people were rescued from a boat after it washed ashore near Falling Creek just before 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 20.
“[It was] a small pleasure craft around 16 to 18 foot, four souls on board. [There were] two adults, two children,” said Shawn Williams, Captain of Logistics for Henrico Fire.
Williams was among the multiple crews called to locate the boat that hit the Henrico side of the James River near the Pocahontas Parkway bridge.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS deployed a drone to aid in the search and found that all four of the boat’s occupants were uninjured. They were then brought to safety nearby.
Williams said the search to find out why this happened is now underway.
“Conservation police plus some other maritime law enforcement will be doing an investigation,” Williams said.
Williams explained that with temperatures being on the rise, more people will be hitting the water in the coming weeks. With that, will come an increase in watercraft incidents just like the one they responded to on Thursday night.
He warns people to be careful of the possible dangers that can lie beneath the surface of the James River.
“If you haven’t been there before, proceed with caution. Even if you have been there before, especially after heavy rains or storms that have moved through, assume there’s something underneath the water that you can’t see and be prepared to react to that,” Williams said.
He also urges boaters to do what they can to be prepared before danger hits.
“Have your appropriate Coast Guard approved life vests — for all the individuals who will be on board — your appropriate signaling devices, a radio if your boat requires that based on its size, cell phones, have a map. If at all possible, know how to read the water and read the river and know how to tell people where you’re at if you get into an incident,” Williams said.