Two ejected into rock wall when boat crashes at high speed, Michigan police say
CLARIFICATION: Michigan State Police told McClatchy News it arrested and identified the “wrong person” and that a previous news release to media outlets was incorrect. McClatchy News has updated the story.
The original story is below.
Three people were injured in a late-night boating crash off Lake Michigan, according to authorities in Michigan.
The trio left Harbor Springs on Wednesday, Aug. 17, to go boating, according to a news release from Michigan State Police. A 26-year-old man from Grand Rapids, Michigan, piloted the boat, with a Florida woman, 21, and Massachusetts man, 41, as passengers, police said.
Officials said they received a call at about 2:50 a.m. from a Petoskey resident that someone was calling for help on Little Traverse Bay.
The boat had crashed into a break wall at a high speed, ejecting the passengers into the rock wall and injuring them, the release said. The collision threw the pilot onto the console, keeping him on the boat as it drifted away and began sinking, officials said.
Troopers arrived to find the passengers sitting on the break wall. The Florida woman had severely injured her arm, requiring a tourniquet. The Massachusetts man had injuries to his head and face, authorities said.
Harbor Springs police took a boat out to rescue the pilot, who hit his face in the collision, officials said.
All three were taken to a nearby hospital, but authorities said no injuries were considered life-threatening.
Officials said they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
The U.S. Coast Guard will retrieve the partially sunken boat.
Harbor Point and Petoskey are on opposite sides of Little Traverse Bay and about 185 miles north of Grand Rapids.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Two ejected into rock wall when boat crashes at high speed, Michigan police say."
