A child died and at least seven other people were injured -- including one who lost an arm -- when a racing boat lost control Sunday afternoon and crashed into vessels of spectators off Kent Island.
Maryland Natural Resources police spokeswoman Candy Thomson said a 7-year-old died. Three victims were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma following the collision Sunday afternoon in the Chesapeake Bay, Thomson said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.
The crash occurred during the Thunder on the Narrows race at the Kent Narrows. Thomson says the operator of the boat lost control and struck onlookers who were gathered on spectator boats that were sitting next to each other along the race course.
Paul Schlotterbeck, an assistant chief for the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, said the organizations that hosted the race -- the Kent Narrows Racing Association and the American Power Boat Association -- had emergency response teams on the water during the event. He said at least one spectator boat was struck in the 4:45 p.m. accident and that the emergency boats affiliated with race organizers transported the injured individuals to ambulances from his department assigned to the event.
Walt Crouse, a member of the Kent Island Yacht Club board of directors, said the accident happened far off shore. He said it was clear something happened after several flares were fired from the water and emergency boats raced to the scene.
Many of the injured were brought to the yacht club, where ambulances were waiting. The Maryland State Police helicopter landed on the yacht club grounds. Crouse said the 7-year-old who died was a girl, and that another person lost an arm.
"It was horrific," Crouse said. "We've been doing this boat race for 25 years and nothing like this has happened."
Stacey Ferreri, a manager at Fisherman's Inn & Crab Deck, a sponsor of the race, said the entire day was festive until it became evident that something horrible had happened.
"Everybody was having a great time and then all of a sudden something's not going right and everyone is running," Ferreri said. "It went from a joyous event to everyone being sad and going home. It's a sad day for the Narrows."
Schlotterbeck said at least 20 fire fighters and medics responded to the accident, many of whom were already assigned to the event. "We always have a medical unit standing by," Schlotterbeck said.
The race on Sunday was the 25th anniversary of the Thunder on the Narrows event hosted by the Kent Narrows Racing Association. The event included the eastern divisional competition of the American Power Boat Association, a governing body for power boat racing in the United States that sanctions 150 races nationally.
An APBA press release in advance of the event quotes Kent Narrows Racing Association President Wheeler Baker as saying that Maryland racers as well as teams from Ohio, Michigan and Florida regions were taking part in the event. He added that the weekend would be "quite festive," and "Up-close and personal racing action that is fun for the whole family."
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the crash.
Thomson says the incident is unrelated to another capsized boat on the other side of Kent Island Sunday afternoon. One boater, a 32-year-old man from Silver Spring, was missing following that incident, Thomson said.
Baltimore Sun reporter Sean Welsh and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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