SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – One person died, and another was rescued in a boating accident near San Juan Island over the weekend.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office says a sailing vessel crashed into rocks between Cattle Point and Lopez Island on the night of Saturday, April 19. The vessel flooded and eventually broke apart, forcing its two occupants into the water.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescued one of the men who was wearing a life jacket and flew him to a nearby hospital.
The other was recovered from the water by the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Bellingham but was pronounced dead by medical responders.
The man’s identity is not being released, pending next of kin notification.
The Coast Guard is reminding people to always wear a life jacket, carry a working marine radio and stay up to date on weather conditions before they venture out into the water.
