Worcester, Mass. – At approximately 6 pm on Saturday, June 18th, the Worcester Fire Department, along with multiple partner agencies, was dispatched to the area of 10 North Lake Ave, Regatta Point, for reports that an operator lost control of his boat throwing himself and a second occupant into Lake Quinsigamond.
Upon arrival, Worcester Fire found one occupant of the boat on the dock with a serious leg injury after apparently being struck by the propeller of the boat. It appears the occupant was pulled from the water by “bystanders” on another boat operating on the lake. A tourniquet was applied to the man’s leg and Worcester EMS transported him with a Worcester Firefighter driving the ambulance. The nature of his injuries warranted a Level 1 Trauma activation for UMASS Memorial Hospital.
At approximately 8:30 pm the search for the second individual was suspended due to weather hindering search operations. The Massachusetts State Police Dive Team reinitiated the search at approximately 9:15 pm with support from Worcester Fire and EMS. The body of the second individual was recovered shortly before 10:30 pm.
Worcester EMS also battled a lack of ambulances during the time of this incident due to long waits at triage points at local hospitals. The original Ambulance dispatched to the call had no delay.
Agencies that responded to the call included Worcester Fire Department, Worcester Scuba Team (with 3 on-duty divers and 3 off-duty divers), Worcester EMS, Worcester Police Department, Shrewsbury Police Department, Shrewsbury Fire Department Dive Team, Environmental Police, and the Massachusetts District 7 Dive Team
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