Man overboard as runaway dinghy spins in Miami waters. Watch the Coast Guard rescue video
A man was tossed from his small craft near Fisherman’s Channel off the Miami coast as his dinghy spun furiously in circles, like an angry hornet doing donuts in the water.
That’s the setting for a video released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday as rescuers from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took action.
According to the Coast Guard, a good Samaritan rescued the man from the water at about 6 p.m. Monday. The boat was still running when rescue crews arrived and they were able to stop it by entangling the prop.
The man’s identify hasn’t been released. According to the Coast Guard he had a minor injury, but declined medical assistance. The man also was not wearing a life jacket.
“As of April 1, vessels 26 feet and under are required to have an engine cut-off switch, and operators are required to wear the lanyard to stop accidents such as this one,” Petty Officer First Class Andrew Sanchez, command duty officer, Sector Miami, said in a news release. “The operator is fortunate the situation was not worse.”
The man’s runaway boat was towed and anchored at Norris Cut, a shallow inlet just south of the Main Channel to Miami Harbor between Fisher Island and Virginia Key.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
