Lake St. Clair Collision Sinks Recreational Boat

ST. CLAIR SHORES, MI — A 17-foot recreational boat and a 406-foot cargo vessel collided in Lake St. Clair Sunday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard said the incident happened at about 11:15 a.m. with the smaller, recreational boat operator being ejected into the water. He was later recovered unhurt by the Coast Guard.

Cause of the accident has yet to be determined, but the Coast Guard is investigating. The Detroit News reported the accident happen close to St. Clair Shores. Coast Guard Lt. Ben Chamberlain told WDIV-TV he hopes the accident will serve as a warning to other recreational boaters.

“We were relieved to be able to recover the small boat operator unharmed,” he told the television station. “It is our hope that recreational boaters will maintain situational awareness to avoid these kinds of scenarios when enjoying the beauty of the Great Lakes. We also continue to implore boaters to wear their life jackets.

“No one plans for these kinds of emergencies to happen to them, but when they do occur, wearing a life jacket can be the difference between life and death.”

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The smaller boat sank in Lake St. Clair after the man, who authorities haven’t identified, was ejected. The cargo ship was identified as the Esta Desgagnes, as a Canadian chemical tanker that was built in 1992, the Detroit News reported. No injuries were reported on the larger vessel.

Photo by Robert Cutts via Flickr Commons