MOREHEAD CITY, Carteret County -
Marine Patrol boat crashes with other boat, sending people into water
By Jaime McCutcheon
POSTED: 3:39 PM Jun 28 2016
A N.C. Marine Patrol boat was involved in a crash with another boat Tuesday morning, causing that boat to capsize.
It happened in the turning basin for the state port in Morehead City. According to a spokesperson for N.C. Marine Fisheries, two Marine Patrol officers were on the boat when it collided with a second boat. The officers were on routine patrol at the time in a 26' patrol boat. Lt. Sam Craft with N.C. Wildlife Resources said the officers were in a "no wake" zone at the time of the crash and traveling at idle speed.
There were three people on the second boat. The 16' Seahawk center console capsized in the crash, sending all three people into the water, according to Lt. Craft. The people on the boat were a man, his wife and their 16-year-old daughter. Lt. Craft said the man was taken to the hospital with shoulder and rib injuries. The wife had minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. The daughter was not injured.
Lt. Craft identified the Marine Patrol officers as Ofc. Brian Gupton and Ofc. Todd Saunders. He said they were not injured in the crash and there was no noticeable damage to their boat. The other boat had damage to the fiberglass and motor.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is investigating the incident. The N.C. Marine Patrol will also be conducting an internal investigation of the accident, which is standard policy for any on-duty accident involving an officer.
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