Boat Crash Injures 6 in NorCal

Six people were injured Sunday morning when two boats collided during a high school fishing tournament on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta near Brentwood. (ktvu.com) The crash happened just before 7 a.m. near Orwood Resort, about three-quarters of a mile south of the marina, as boats launched for a bass fishing event organized by the Student Angler Federation. Four people were taken to hospitals, and one person was initially reported in critical condition. (ktvu.com, nbcbayarea.com) Contra Costa County fire crews were dispatched at about 6:55 a.m. for a water rescue, and another boat on the delta pulled people from the water before first responders arrived. Battalion Chief Brandon Burruss said one damaged vessel ended up on top of the other after impact. (ktvu.com) Witnesses told local television stations that one boat appeared to slow in a posted 5-mile-per-hour zone and the other did not. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said only one of the boats involved had slowed in a no-wake zone, and investigators are still examining what happened. (ktvu.com, abc7news.com) The tournament drew about 50 high school teams from across California for a state qualifier or open challenge event on the delta. Organizers said the collision happened during the initial run, when boats were heading to their first fishing spots. (abc7news.com, highschoolfishing.org) High school fishing events pair student anglers with adult boat captains and launch multiple boats within minutes of each other before sunrise or at first light. On the delta, that can put fast-moving bass boats, idle-speed zones and narrow sloughs on the same course at the same time. (highschoolfishing.org, ktvu.com) California’s boating rules require operators to keep a proper lookout, travel at safe speed and obey posted no-wake or idle-speed zones. Those rules matter most near marinas, docks and channel pinch points like the waterways around Orwood Resort and Discovery Bay. (parks.ca.gov, abc7news.com) As of Tuesday, authorities had not released the names or ages of the injured, and the sheriff’s investigation was still open. The immediate questions are which boat had the right of way, how fast each vessel was traveling and whether the posted speed zone was clearly marked where the collision happened. (abc7news.com, eastbaytimes.com)