Boat Owner Alleges Ethanol Damage In Lawsuit

SEBRING - A Highlands County man has sued five of the nation's biggest oil companies, alleging one sold 10 percent ethanol fuel that damaged his boat's engine.Erick Kelecseny contacted the Fort Lauderdale personal injury law firm Kopelowitz Ostrow, who filed suit Aug. 12 in U.S. District Court. They allege that Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP America, Shell and ConocoPhillips know about the problems ethanol causes to causes boats, but continue to market blended gasoline to the marine industry. Kelecseny seeks punitive damages and class-action status to include all Florida boat owners whose vessels were damaged by the blended gas. According to an April 9 story carried on Dow Jones newswires, another federal class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles has charged ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell and other oil companies are selling ethanol blended gasoline that damages marine fuel tanks, engines and other components.

Dixie Co. teacher Charles David Sheppard was killed in boating accident when struck by Ocalan's pontoon boat

Additional information was released Monday morning by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the scalloping death of a popular Dixie County teacher on Friday afternoon. Charles David Sheppard FWC is the agency leading the investigation into Friday's death of Charles David Sheppard, 60, of Cross City. Sheppard was pronounced dead shortly after apparently being cut by the propellor of an outboard motor on a pontoon boat carrying six adults and six children from Ocala. An autopsy is expected to be performed today at the medical examiner's office in Jacksonville to determine the exact cause of Sheppard's death.

Fishing Vessel Yvonne Sinking - Off Jacksonville Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people from a sinking fishing boat off the coast of Jacksonville early this morning. The 66-foot fishing boat Yvonne was about 3 miles offshore when the Coast Guard received a distress call about 2 a.m. from the vessel and launched a rescue boat from Mayport, officials said. The crew of a Good Samaritan vessel, the Shenandoah, also went to the scene of the sinking vessel and assisted the Coast Guard, officials said. A Coast Guard spokesman said the medical condition of the two people rescued apparently was not “of a serious nature” but they were to be evaluated by medical personnel.

Boating Accident Brunswick Georgia Leave 1 dead others injured

BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- One person was killed and two others had to be rescued when a boat ran into the jetties on Jekyll Creek. Coast Guard officials said a 23-foot pleasure craft struck the rocks near where the creek meets the ocean south of Brunswick early Sunday morning. The names of those involved were not released pending notification of next of kin. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is investigating the cause of death. The Coast Guard received a mayday call from the boat at about 4:15 a.m. Sunday. A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Brunswick crew found two people in the water, one of whom was later pronounced dead. A third boater who had been clinging to the damaged boat was rescued by a good Samaritan the accident.Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ferrin says JaxPort needs $1.4 billion for construction, dredging

Call it the Better Jacksonville Port Plan. In a speech Thursday to the Propeller Club, Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrin said the port will need about $1.4 billion for construction and dredging between now and 2015 so it can climb into the top tier of ports on the East Coast.

Slow response to boating accident angers witness

By JOHN BRANNON Messenger Staff Reporter Linda Jones of Union City expressed outrage about a perceived slow response by emergency agencies to a fatal boating accident on Kentucky Lake Thursday afternoon. “We desperately needed help. People were still in the water,” she said. A bass boat that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigators estimate was traveling at least 40 miles per hour slammed into a pontoon boat about 5:50 p.m. Thursday. Fatality Killed in the accident was former Martin resident San-dra Renae Adams, 47, of Mur-freesboro. Mrs. Adams’ daughter, Megan, 16, was seriously injured and ultimately airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville for treatment. Her status at press time is undetermined. On the pontoon boat were seven members of the Adams family — Megan and Mrs. Adams; her husband, Jeffery; their son and daughter-in-law, names not available; and two boys, ages 11 and 9, names not available.

Boat bursts into flames; 2 hurt

Two Georgia men were hospitalized Friday after their boat burst into flames on the Nassau River.Spokesman Frank Elkins of Nassau County Fire Rescue said the Brunswick, Ga., pair were piloting a 30-foot-long craft to Cocoa Beach when it caught fire shortly before noon near the Thomas Shave Bridge on Florida A1A. Elkins said witnesses estimated the flames shot up almost 10 feet high. Investigators haven't determined what ignited the blaze, and Elkins declined to identify the men. Both were taken to Shands Jacksonville. Elkins said one of the men was later transported to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville and treated for burns. The other man was kept overnight at Shands Jacksonville for observation.

'Buckle up' when on a boat this Fourth of July weekend

Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Hulme uses a car analogy when encouraging boaters to wear a life preserver. "Do you put on your set belt right before an accident?" Hulme asks. "Mother Nature can be tough. It's always best to wear a life jacket." The Coast Guard, as well as Florida Fish and Wildlife, will be out in force this weekend patrolling the waterways as people celebrate the Fourth of July.