An elderly man has died after a boat crashed into him on his rowing vessel Sunday morning at a New Hampshire lake, according to state police.
The collision occurred at 6:42 am in Tilton, New Hampshire. Thomas Mead, 76, was operating a rowing scull at Lake Winnisquam when a pontoon boat driven by a 17-year-old boy hit and killed him.
The boat’s operator brought Mead aboard and attempted to perform CPR until firefighters arrived on the scene. Mead was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead. Police say it was unclear whether Mead was wearing a life vest.
Michael Sitar, Chief of Tilton-Northfield Fire & EMS, told the Boston Globe they are currently investigation whether the collision could have been prevented. The teen has not been charged in the incident at this time.
“The boat that was struck was very low to the water. When they sit in those boats, they’re kind of reclined as well. It was a bit foggy and the way the sun was coming up, I believe the operator [of the pontoon boat] just did not see him and drove right over him,” Sitar said. He added that the boat was traveling at about 10 mph.
Tilton-Northfield Fire Captain Matt Gilman told WMUR News 9: “Pontoon boats sit a little higher in the water, and it kind of sounds like this was a much lower-than-normal boat. So, it certainly could make the sight angles difficult. It makes all the more reason to make sure you’ve got someone to watch out in front of where you’re headed. It was also kind of foggy on the lake in the morning, so I have a feeling there were a lot of factors that lead to this happening.”
The crash remains under investigation. The New Hampshire State Police is encouraging anyone with information related to the case to reach out.
Lake Winnisquam is New Hampshire’s fourth-largest lake, with an area of over 4,200 acres.
They probably wrote the article based on police reports. I’m sure they got the speed based on what the driver of the pontoon said and didn’t note it maybe see a life vest at the scene. The whole thing is horribly sad, boating or rowing in fog seems way too dangerous. Sometimes things are just horrible accidents. The 17 year old at least tried to help more than some stories you read about. No matter what happens to the young man he will live with this forever and that in itself is awful. With the difference in sizes of the boats I can see where it was hard to see him. I live in an area with many lakes and people rowing usually stay to the side closest to shore because of the boat traffic.
No such thing as an accident. This was pure carelessness. The boy should not have been out alone. But for that matter, even (or maybe especially) the old man should also have had a lookout with him.
Who the hell put you in charge of deciding that there aren’t accidents?? Were you there to know it was carelessness? Who said a 17 year old can’t operate a boat alone? People like you are the problem, also never serve on a jury since you know everything without knowing anything!!
Unbelievable you can put out a story like this. You can`t even say if the man had a life jacket on or not? How did they come up with the speed the boy was traveling?