One person taken to hospital after a boat crash at the Shootout Races

[Ratickle]

Crash happened during the Shootout Races at Lake of the Ozarks

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. -

The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirms a boat crashed during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout on Saturday.

According to Sgt. Scott White, the driver was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.

MSHP said the crash happened upstream from the 31 mile marker.

Troopers have since cleared the scene and the race has started back up.

http://www.abc17news.com/news/one-p...r-a-boat-crash-at-lake-of-the-ozarks/41400472

 

[Ratickle]

Besides an incident early in the race in which Jeff McCann rolled his Donzi V-bottom (he survived the wreck with a few minor injuries).
Speed On The Water

 

[Ratickle]

 

[Ratickle]

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- The raceboat driver injured Saturday in a crash at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout is on the road to recovery.

Jeff McCann of Morehead, N.C., had a rough run down the race course in Jack's Waterfront, a 23-foot Donzi, before spinning out and crashing at the finish line.

McCann ejected or was thrown from the cockpit and the boat sank within 30 seconds. Rescue crews responded quickly with one responder leaping from a Missouri State Highway Patrol boat to secure McCann, who was wearing a life jacket and helmet, but floating face-down and unconscious in the water. From the video, it took 36 seconds from when McCann hit the water to the first responder making contact.

A Nikon camera time lapse from the racetrack shows it only took 4 minutes, 10 seconds from the crash to the driver being secured to a backboard, out of the water, transferred to a fireboat and receiving care from medical professionals.

McCann was reportedly conscious and communicating in the fireboat on the way to shore to meet the ambulance.

http://lakeexpo.com/boating/raceboa...cle_a03324fc-6d47-11e6-8da8-3b95be1acb52.html

 

[fund razor]

Interesting boat. 22 donzi with a beak and a bustle.

Glad he is ok.

 

[fund razor]

Pics from Lookout Shootout, Jeff's local group

 

[fund razor]

Another

 

[fund razor]

Sounds like he may be released tomorrow, and they are going to raise the boat tomorrow also.

The response from MSHP is being credited with his recovery.

 

[fund razor]

I saw that sequence of photos from the crash. I think he was chine walking and eventually caught the bustle hard enough to trip the boat and stuff the keel near the bow.
I think the bustle may have screwed him in the end.

 

[phragle]

My take... He had it bouncing. It got light and prop torque pulled the ass end out. When the bow sat down the boat was already at a yaw angle with the ass light, instant hook and spin

 

[fund razor]

You may be right. Hard telling. I guess I was considering this the "stuff." It's the next photo that the ass swings around to the port, then rolls over.

 

[fund razor]

Maybe it was some of both.

 

[Serious News]

 

[fund razor]

I wish the stern didn't drift out of frame at the critical moment before the spinout.

 

[Ratickle]

When I get a chance to talk to Jeff, I'll let you know what he thinks went wrong.

 

[fund razor]

Wait for it.

http://lakeexpo.com/news/lake_news/...deo_a170cbd8-6fa6-11e6-b458-fbe6a18ae75c.html

 

[Serious News]

LAKE OF THE OZARKS - A man was released from the hospital after a Missouri State Highway Patrolman saved him from a boat crash at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.

The crash happened during the Shootout, which is described as "the largest unsanctioned boat race in the US" on the race's website.

Jeffrey McCann was driving his boat Saturday morning when it wrecked and began to sink. Video of the crash was captured by Speedboat Magazine.

After the crash, Corporal David Echternacht jumped into action. He saw McCann wearing a life-jacket but face down in the water. He drove his patrol boat up to McCann and jumped into the water to help him.

Echternacht flipped McCann over and found he was unconscious and not breathing, the Highway Patrol said. Echternacht opened McCann's mouth by pulling down his jaw. He then asked McCann to breath. After a few seconds, McCann started breathing shallow breaths.

After spitting out some water, McCann was lifted out of the water by the Mid-County Fire Protection District, which was assisting with the rescue.

McCann was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

On Tuesday, the MSHP shared a photo on Facebook of Echternacht visiting McCann in the hospital.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/offi...rash-at-lake-of-the-ozarks-shootout/311412709

 

[Serious News]

'I Told Him To Breathe!' Trooper Recounts Rescue Of Race Boat Driver Who Crashed At Shootout

When a race boat careened out of control and crashed at the Shootout finish line, Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal David Echternacht was in the right place, at the right time, with the right training.

Add to that a fast water patrol vessel with twin 250 HP Mercury Verado engines, and Echternacht was at the site of a terrible racing accident, rescuing the victim, a mere 36 seconds after the crash.

It all happened just before noon on Saturday, Aug. 27. Jeff McCann of Morehead, NC was running a 23 ft. Donzi named Jack’s Waterfront in the 2016 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Powerboat races. With thousands of race fans watching, the boat began to uncontrollably rock, or “chine walk,” from side-to-side, before spinning out of control.

Within seconds the boat landed with the bow pointing up and sank to the bottom of the Lake of the Ozarks. McCann was ejected from his boat, and landed face-down in the water.

Corporal Echternacht was in the closest emergency patrol boat to the crash. Putting the throttle down hard he raced to the scene of the accident arriving in 36 seconds. Not hesitating to remove his gun or his cell phone, Echternacht quickly jumped into the water before the boat had even stopped, while another patrol boat occupant took the helm.

“He (McCann) had a life vest on but was lying face down in the water,” Echternacht recounted. He quickly swam to McCann’s side and turned him over, to discover McCann was not responding or moving. McCann’s full-face helmet was showing damage from the accident.

“I reached under his helmet and opened his mouth to get the water out,” Echternacht remembered. “I told him to breathe! It seemed like a long time, but then he finally started to breathe.”

A Mid County Fire Protection fire rescue team arrived, and a rescue diver was dropped into the water. A stokes basket was then lowered and Echternacht assisted the diver with loading McCann into the basket, and they hoisted him into the rescue boat.

A nurse and doctor that were riding in Echternacht’s patrol boat got into the emergency fire boat and quickly worked to stabilize McCann. He was then transported to a waiting Lake West Ambulance, staged under the Hurricane Deck Bridge.

At this point, it was reported that McCann was conscience and communicating. The ambulance transported him to Lake Regional Hospital and the decision was made to fly him by STAFF For Life helicopter to the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia.

“I received an email from a friend of McCann who said he was being released on Sunday,” Echternacht said.

When asked about the daring rescue, Echternacht humbly replied, “It wasn’t me. It was a joint effort between the water patrol, the fire rescue team, medical personnel, the ambulance paramedics and the staff on the helicopter.”

Despite some erroneous reports, Echternacht was wearing an inflatable life jacket when he jumped in to save McCann. “I did not inflate the jacket,” he explained, “because it would have been another bear in the water.”

Echternacht has been with the Patrol for 9.5 years, and not only is he highly trained in water rescue, he is the Water Safety Instructor at the Highway Patrol Academy. He is also a MSHP Emergency Vehicle Operation Course Instructor and he assists with sobriety checkpoints in the Lake area, where he resides.

“I help at the Shootout because it is a great way for me to keep up-to-date and gain hands-on experience for what I teach,” he said. “Even though I am not usually on the front lines, it is a pleasure to do what I do here and at the academy.”

Shootout Safety Boat Volunteer Bill Rockley, added, “I am sure McCann is thankful this brave, highly skilled and quick thinking corporal was on the front line on Saturday.”

Race spectators agreed: they cheered Echternacht as he passed by on Sunday, at the close of the race.

http://lakeexpo.com/boating/i-told-...cle_3a68eb7e-6fb4-11e6-b07a-0fba3d57a676.html

 

[Serious News]

Businessman recovers
HELEN OUTLAND

MOREHEAD CITY — A local business man and boat racer continues to recover from injuries sustained in a boating accident Saturday while running a time trial in Missouri during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.

According to Keri McCann in an interview Tuesday, her husband Jeff continues to recover at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Mo. The couple owns Jack’s Waterfront Bar on the Morehead City waterfront.

Mr. McCann was injured during a qualifying radar run when his 22-foot Donzi Classic called the Mail Man flipped, ejecting him.

“This was a one-mile timed run,” Mrs. McCann said. “He called me just before taking off to say he was third boat out and the water was rough.”

According to Mrs. McCann, her husband wasn’t going very fast in his boat, and he thought the accident may have resulted from hitting a wave.

Mr. McCann has been racing boats for many years. Mrs. McCann said the particular boat her husband was qualifying in was not the bigger Scream Machine used in some local races.

“The Classic Donzi is an open cockpit with no seatbelt restraints,” she said.

Mrs. McCann said her husband was wearing a helmet at the time.

She said the worst moment for her came watching the event as it was being streamed live and she witnessed the crash. Her husband was unresponsive and face down in the water.

Within seconds, Mrs. McCann said her husband was recovered by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who was on a nearby patrol vessel.

She said Capt. David Echternacht, in full uniform, jumped into the water and flipped the unconscious Mr. McCann over onto his back.

“He is our angel,” Mrs. McCann said. “We are forever grateful.”

Within a few minutes of being transferred to an emergency response boat, her husband was regaining consciousness, able to say her name and asked that she be called.

“When he came to he asked them to please call me,” she said. “He told them, ‘she is going to be so mad at me.’ ”

She said her husband’s helmet was cracked during the crash and could not be removed immediately.

An examination at the hospital revealed he had sustained bruised lungs and had water in his lungs. He also has a number of fractured ribs that are quite painful. An MRI showed no bleeding on the brain or spinal cord injury.

“With the bruising and water in his lungs, they are keeping an eye on him. Although pneumonia is not a risk now, they are playing it day by day,” she said. “He has an angel on his shoulder. He is up and walking around a little and we were hoping he would be released today. But not today. Maybe tomorrow (Wednesday) or the next day.”

Mrs. McCann said she is making preparations to leave for Missouri for the weekend if need be to drive her husband home.

She thanked her husband’s friends Matt Cole, Michael Hall, Chad Howey, Jerry Haney who are staying in Missouri with her husband to help take care of him.

“I’ve had so many people in Missouri, including first responders out there, and here, who have reached out to us,” she said. “They are all amazing people.”

Efforts were underway Tuesday to recover the boat that sank within 30 seconds of flipping. Whether the boat is salvageable is uncertain.

http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_ea16d8de-6f81-11e6-a697-b34ac4c64136.html