Holidaymaker seriously injured by runaway boat in Stilbaai
File picture: Good samaritans rescued an injured woman following a boating accident on the Goukou River.
Image: Brenton Geach
A 27-year-old female is recovering from serious injuries after being hit by the boat she was travelling on in Stilbaai, Western Cape.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) responded to the incident, which took place on the Goukou River on Friday, December 19, at around 2pm.
According to rescuers, it appears that a couple from Centurion was ejected from their boat while travelling along the river. The female occupant was then hit by the boat, as its motors were still engaged, causing serious injuries.
The woman was rescued from the water by a family on a private boat, while occupants of another private boat rescued the male.
NSRI medics and a local doctor treated the woman at the riverside, and she was transported to a private hospital, where she remains in a serious but stable condition.
The runaway boat ran ashore, reports indicate, and was later recovered.
“The NSRI commends the family on the private boat that rescued the lady, the second private boat - that brought the man to the jetty - and we commend the swift actions of the greater Stilbaai community that contributed to this incident,” NSRI Stilbaai station commander Stéfan Grové said.
“Our thoughts and care are with the lady recovering in hospital from serious injuries and with the couple's families.”
In a separate incident in Port Alfred, the NSRI rescued four people after their boat capsized in the Kowie River Mouth.
The rescue craft found four occupants on rocks below East Pier. Three of them were injured and were brought to the NSRI rescue base.
"It appears that the boat was capsized by waves in the Kowie River Mouth, where we believe a local surfer had assisted in guiding the casualties, who were in the water, to the rocks below East Pier," a NSRI spokesperson said.
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