[Rhodes22-list] Boating story on Miami River near my home...

[Gardner, Douglas L. (LNG-DAY)]

A couple of pertinent pieces of information.  The recent rains described in
the article were severe (areas upriver had received as many as 6 inches of
rain in 2 hours.  The governer has since declared portions of Butler County
as disaster areas because of the flooding.) There was apparently no evidence
of PFDs aboard the boat. 

I'll let you draw your own conclusions... 


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The Cincinnati Enquirer June 21, 2003 Saturday West Edition 


Copyright 2003 The Cincinnati Enquirer
All Rights Reserved  
The Cincinnati Enquirer

June 21, 2003 Saturday West Edition

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1B

LENGTH: 424 words

HEADLINE: Two presumed dead as boat slips over dam

BYLINE: David Eck, FREELANCE OK

BODY:
By David Eck

Enquirer contributor

HAMILTON - Two people were presumed dead Friday after their boat apparently
lost power and went over a low-level dam on the Great Miami River in
Hamilton.

The victims were identified as Kevin Lodder, 24, of Hamilton, and Danny
Brodnick, 49, of Miamisburg, Ohio. According to the Butler County Sheriff's
Office, Brodnick was on a test ride in the 26-foot cabin cruiser that he
planned to purchase from Lodder Marine in Fairfield. 

A third person was able to escape the boat and swim to safety as the large
pleasure craft began to drift toward the dam, officials said. None of those
in the boat appeared to be wearing life jackets, the sheriff's office said.

"The witnesses are indicating the boat began to stall," said Maj. Anthony
Dwyer of the sheriff's office. "Witnesses, along with fire/rescue personnel,
did see two bodies in the water."

The accident happened about 2:30 p.m. in front of Miami University's
Hamilton campus on the south side of the city.

"We're still looking into this as to why the craft was on the water," Dwyer
said. At about 9:30 p.m., the search was called off for the night.

Several relatives or friends of the victims ran to the scene shortly after
the accident and started screaming hysterically. They were quickly escorted
away by officials.

Rescuers worked for several hours securing the white-and-blue craft as it
rested sideways against the dam. Eventually, the boat was pulled onto rocks
at the river's western shore.

The bodies remained in the water late Friday afternoon. The river was
swollen from recent rain, which made recovering the bodies treacherous,
officials said.

"When you get this, the churning motion of the water and the current, it is
very difficult," said Hamilton Fire Chief Joe Schutte. "We can't get real
close to it."

Water rushed over the dam in a boil. The craft leaned against the dam as
water continually slammed into it.

A friend of one of the victims came to the scene to try to help Lodder's
family.

"Every time we'd go out, we'd do something fun," said Scott Bryant, of Ross,
who had known Lodder for about a year. "He would bend over backward for
everybody. He knew everything about boats."

Witnesses said they were helpless as they watched the boat slide over the
dam.

Ryan Miller, 16, of Hamilton was fishing on the bank when he saw the boat
pulled over.

"All of a sudden it fell over and it threw (the people) into the water," he
said. "They were hanging on. I'm sick to my stomach right now."

E-mail daveck at fuse.net

LOAD-DATE: June 23, 2003 rights reserved.