Hall County emergency workers extinguish the blaze.
Something unfortunate happened on Lake Lanier this past July 4th. A boat being towed suddenly exploded, injuring several passengers and sending them to local hospitals.
I’m sure there’s a lot of speculation about how this occurred, and I even have a few ideas myself, but as of the time of this writing, the cause isn’t definitively known. What I do know is that it deeply affected the lives of the seven people aboard, most of whom were children.
I could spend my time and effort here writing about what I believe caused the accident and what could be done to prevent such incidents in the future. Instead, I’ll focus on something different. It so happens that I was on my boat, anchored near the area where this occurred. I was about 100 feet from the vessel when the explosion happened. I heard it. I saw the flames. I heard the screams. Like everyone else, I watched intently as everything unfolded before us.
There was a lot to process, but one thing that stood out was the reaction and dedication of the people on Lake Lanier whose job it is to help us and keep us safe.
In an emergency, time is critical. A boat fire can spread very quickly, and this one was no exception. Once the explosion occurred, the crew of the tow boat reacted with remarkable speed, approaching the stricken vessel bow-to-bow to evacuate the passengers. I honestly don’t know how long it took, but it was incredibly quick. They immediately transported the injured to shore, where emergency vehicles were waiting to provide medical care.
At the same time, law enforcement and emergency vessels from other parts of the lake quickly arrived, including units from Hall County, Forsyth County, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The TowBoatUS crew even returned to assist after bringing the passengers to shore. You see, there was still the problem of a burning boat drifting in the channel. They created a buffer zone around the burning vessel, ensuring no one got too close as it continued to burn. Hall County Marine Rescue eventually used a pump and nozzle to extinguish the flames. What was left of the vessel was then towed to the shoreline and out of the way.
Shortly afterward, I noticed that everything seemed to return to normal. Of course, people were still chattering about what had happened and speculating on why it occurred, but the usual July 4th mood had returned. Grills were going again, music was playing, and thousands of people enjoyed the fireworks later that evening. It occurred to me that this normalcy was thanks to the quick response of some people who were working that day. They were working while we were enjoying our day off. They were being heroes.
Every once in a while, I hear a complaint from someone who says they were “hassled” by law enforcement on the lake. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that these individuals are there to protect us and to help us when we need them most. I think it’s important that we don’t forget that.
The next time you get pulled over by law enforcement on the water for a simple safety check, perhaps you should consider giving them the benefit of the doubt. It might be a small inconvenience, but you could be talking to a hero.
Photo: by Frank Taylor
