Probe Begins of Boat Accident; 20 Dead

Oct 3, 8:57 AM (ET)

By CHRIS CAROLA

(AP) A search boat patrols the waters in Lake George, N.Y., Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. A boat carrying...
Full Image

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (AP) - The captain of a tour boat that capsized, killing 20 people, told authorities it was hit by waves from another vessel or vessels and went over as he tried to steer out of them, authorities said Monday.

The postcard perfect day of sailing on Lake George suddenly turned horrific Sunday when the 40-foot boat the Ethan Allen flipped over so quickly that none of the 47 passengers could put on a life jacket. Seven people were hospitalized.

All the passengers were from Michigan, Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland said Monday. Their names were not immediately disclosed. A hospital spokesman had earlier put the toll at 21, but Cleveland said it was 20.

"The boat was sideways in the water, and people were screaming," said Joanne Rahal, who was in a boat when the Ethan Allen flipped. "Bodies were floating by our boat."

"We were just cruising along, and all of a sudden, the boat tipped. We thought it was kind of like a joke," Ann Mae Hawley, 74, told the Glens Falls Post-Star. "Next thing I knew, I was in the water under the boat.

"I could see my husband, and I called to him, but he didn't respond. I don't know where he is now."

The sheriff said none of the passengers was able to put on a life jacket. "Some of the victims were in fact found still trapped in the boat by divers," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board arrived on the scene early Monday.

There had been hundreds of boats on Lake George on the sunny Sunday afternoon, causing "a lot of wave action," Cleveland said.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20051003/D8D0ILLO0.html

I feel very badly about the accident. I used to love watching the fall foliage from a sailboat. The cold spray would be a firm reminder of winter coming even while the warm sun was beating down on me. You would feel very alive.
The problem with the boat was that it was rated for 50 people, but that assumed 50 people at 150 pounds per person. The pictures of the survivors leads me believe that there was more than 7500 pounds of human cargo on board.
The same goes for car capacities, they are rated for people that weigh an average of 150 pounds.
Does anyone know what the average American weighs now?

too much I suppose. I wonder how many people that drowned could swim? Just plain sad.

In 2002, 191 lbs for men, 164 lbs for women.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2669-2004Oct27.html
Search is powerful. Use it.

For the record, I am a 6'6" 325lb fat lazy american infidel.