Dramatic Incident In Kilkee Bay Caught On Camera

News - Local

Friday, 15 October 2010 10:34

Written by Pat Flynn

Dramatic footage of an out-of-control speedboat crashing onto rocks in West Clare on Wednesday was captured on a camera-phone by an eyewitness.

A unnamed fisherman in his 50's had a miraculous escape after he was thrown from the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) which continued to circle at high speed narrowly missing him on several occasions. The man however managed swim over half a mile across Kilkee Bay to safety.

The incident happened shortly before midday in Kilkee in west Clare when the man the was making his way out of the bay in a rigid in the RIB to go fishing. The man, believed to be from Co Limerick, was tossed out of the craft in the middle of the bay before he had a chance to connect his kill-switch toggle or don his lifejacket.

Eyewitness Jimmy Leyden, manager of Kilkee Golf Club, heard a commotion in the bay and went to investigate. "I heard a boat in the boat and thought it was someone messing around. When I got out to the cliffs, I saw the boat locked in a spin in the middle of the bay. Then I saw a man swimming towards the rocks near the golf club. The man got out and walked across the rocks on his bare feet and he appeared quite shocked. He said, 'that's the third time the sea has given me back.'"

After confirming that no-one else was in the boat, Mr Leyden then drove to the other side of the bay and witnessed the craft crashing on to the rocks. "It was spinning in a clockwise corkscrew for about half an hour. It snaked its way from the middle of the bay across to rocks on the opposite side. The boat was going at full-power and had two full tanks of fuel. It would still be going if it hadn't run aground."

"This man was lucky for several reasons. He was very lucky not to have been hit by the boat but he was also lucky that when he hit the water at that speed, he landed properly. He could have been winded and drowned. He was also a strong swimmer and swam from the middle of the bay to the golf club side. He didn't even have time to put on his lifejacket," Mr Leyden said.

Members of Kilkee Marine Rescue Service, who responded to the incident within minutes, attempted to approach the out-of-control RIB in an effort to get someone on board however this could not be done safely. Instead, rescue teams allowed the boat run aground where the engine cut out automatically.

Mr Leyden used his iPhone to capture the moment the boat careered onto the rocks. The RIB can been seen spinning closer to the rocks before it finally ran aground and its engine cut out. Only then could rescue services safely approach the craft.

The near-tragic incident was almost identical to an accident in Kilkee in July 2000 when a 15-year-old boy was seriously injured and another teenager had a lucky escape.

Keith Donovan from Limerick and a 13-year-old pal, were thrown from their RIB however Keith was struck by the boat as it spun around him sustainung serious injuries to one of his arms. Keith was promptly airlifted to Cork University Hospital where surgeons battled for five hours to save his arm.

The Donovan family later held an event in Limerick and raised €65,000 for the Kilkee Marine Rescue Service in recognition of the rescue operation they mounted on the day. Keith Donovan went on to make a remarkable recovery.