LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The name of a man who died in a weekend boating accident on Clear Lake has been released, with authorities releasing new details about the incident and the subsequent investigation.
Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the accident victim as 74-year-old James Michael Leale of San Jose and Clearlake Park.
On Saturday at approximately 2:30 p.m., deputies responded to a reported boat accident in the Kelseyville area between Anderson Island and Vacation Island on Clear Lake, Brooks said.
As deputies arrived to the area of the accident, they noticed debris floating in the water which included boat cushions, life jackets and what appeared to be pieces of a boat, he said.
Brooks said the deputies were contacted by a witness to the accident who said there had been three people in an orange boat, which had disappeared below the surface of the water.
The witness said they had picked up two survivors and currently had them in their boat, and went on to say that the third person did not appear on the surface after the accident. Brooks said the witnesses did not know what caused the boat to break apart and sink.
The deputies contacted both survivors, one of which said he was the owner of the boat and was the one driving when the accident occurred, Brooks said.
Brooks said the boat's owner told the deputies that he was traveling at approximately 55 miles per hour when for some unknown reason the boat sailed up on the starboard side and came back down. As the boat struck the water, it seemed to break apart and disappeared below the surface.
The vessel is described as an Eliminator boat which was built in 1984, Brooks said.
The boat's owner confirmed there were three people on board, including himself. He identified the missing person as Leale, according to Brooks.
Both survivors were transported to separate hospitals for medical treatment, Brooks said.
The boat's owner was taken to Sutter Lakeside, while the second survivor – a 73-year-old man – had been transported by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, as Lake County News has reported.
On Saturday at approximately 2:47 p.m. deputies requested assistance from the Northshore Dive Team in locating Leale. Brooks said the dive team was forced to scale back the search due to poor visibility and the fact it was getting late and starting to get dark.
At 2 p.m. Sunday the Marin County Dive Team responded to assist with the search. Brooks said they were able to locate the boat, which was submerged in approximately 30 feet of water. However, they also had to scale back their efforts because of the lack of visibility and the darkness.
On Monday the Northshore Dive Team responded to the area of the accident to resume the search. Brooks said that at approximately 10:35 a.m. they located Leale and were able to recover his body from the water.
He said the Northshore Dive Team also was able to lift and recover the boat, which was in two pieces.
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation. Brooks said investigators are examining the possibility of a structural or mechanical failure with the 32-year-old boat.
Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor, Brooks added.
Sheriff's office releases name of boat accident victim, offers new details of incident
- Lake County News reports
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