Fairhope boater rescued after single-vessel crash
MOBILE COUNTY, Alabama (WALA) — Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Marine Patrol Division rescued a Fairhope man following a single-vessel crash Saturday in Portersville Bay.
The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Troopers responding to the scene found a Ranger Bay Center Console operated by Kevin Olmstead, 53, a Ranger Bay Center Console grounded and unoccupied in Portersville Bay near Bayou La Batre.
Around 7:30 p.m., troopers and a good Samaritan found Olmstead hanging onto Channel Marker 34 in the Intracoastal Waterway, according to ALEA.
A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer administered first aid as Olmstead was taken to aboard a Marine Patrol Vessel. Once on shore, Olmstead was airlifted to University Hospital in Mobile suffering symptoms of hypothermia, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Alabama Marine Resources, Mobile County Sheriff’s Flotilla, Daphne Search and Rescue assisted ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division in the search and rescue efforts.
No other information was available. ALEA’s Marine Patrol Troopers continue to investigate the accident.