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2 drown trying to rescue boater near Egmont Key

Two couples were boating when one of the women fell overboard. Both men jumped in to help; only she survived.

By MARLON A. WALKER
Published June 11, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — Two men drowned Saturday afternoon in Tampa Bay after jumping in the water to save a female boater who had fallen off the boat.

Officials said Saturday night that alcohol may have been involved, and no life jackets were being worn, although several were thrown into the water after the three passengers went overboard.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Rick Feinberg said two couples were out near Egmont Key in a 21-foot Mako when one of the women fell overboard. Her husband, Richard Hostutler of Plant City, who had been steering, jumped in to help her.

James Smith of Valrico took over steering, Feinberg said, tried to turn the boat around, then jumped in to help the woman.
Smith’s wife stayed on board and called authorities about 6:30 p.m., Feinberg said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Joy Hill said the three people in the water were caught in a strong tide and pushed away from the boat. The rescue was complicated by strong winds that made navigation difficult.

Passers-by in another boat saw the woman in the boat yelling for help. They pulled the three people out of the water. It is not known when the men were pronounced dead, she said.

The men’s bodies were brought to shore aboard two boats, while another ferried in the wives.

“We’ve recovered the bodies of the two males, and informed the women that their husbands were dead,” Feinberg said.

Saturday evening, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials were talking to the women, who were taken to Brandon Regional Hospital for observation, to determine exactly what happened. Feinberg said the agency was also going to inspect the boat.

John Iannone was grilling with his family at Fort De Soto Park’s Gulf Pier about 6:30 p.m. Saturday when winds kicked up, a heavy rain started and the sky went black. The storm lasted only a few minutes, he said.

“By the time we got the grill in the car, it was over,” he said, watching as Fire Rescue officials wheeled a body off the pier. “There was no time to get out of the way as it came so fast.”

National Weather Service forecaster Tom Dougherty said a weather pattern called an outflow boundary came to the area from the southern part of the state. The weather pattern appeared from Tampa Bay to 85 miles west of Egmont Key, producing dark clouds, rain and wind gusts up to 35 knots, he said.

[Last modified June 11, 2006, 03:14:54]