Two Die After Boat Capsizes on Allegheny
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
11 April 2010
By Diana Nelson Jones and Moriah Balingit,
A North Huntingdon man and his son's friend drowned Saturday afternoon
when the 16-foot boat they were fishing from struck the dam at Lock 3
in Harmar and capsized.
The bodies of Gary Watson, 59, and Brian Ambercrombie, 26, were
discovered in the water about an hour after the boat capsized. Mr.
Watson's grown son, who Fish and Game Commission authorities would not
identify, was able to swim to safety, suffering a cut on his head. He
remained in the hospital yesterday.
Officer Ron Evancho of the Fish and Boat Commission said the boat
likely capsized because of turbulence at the base of the dam created by
the cascade of water flowing over it. He said there likely was no
mechanical failure.
"We believe it had something to do with the turbulence on the lower end
of the dam," he said. Witnesses reported seeing the men steer boat all
the way up to the dam before watching it capsize, Officer Evancho said.
The turbulence created by the dam was visible up to 10 feet away from
the dam, said Army Corp of Engineers spokesman Jeff Hawk, though there
was not an unusual amount of flow over the dam.
Pat Thomas and Albert Pulice, both from Murrysville, said they arrived
at their favorite fishing spot about three hours before the accident
occurred at 2:30 p.m.
"They seemed to have it under control most of the time," said Mr.
Thomas. But at one point, he said, "'I said, 'They're too damn close.' "
Mr. Pulice said he left for about 20 minutes and when he returned, Mr.
Thomas told him the boat had hit the dam "and it flipped them."
Officer Evancho said fishermen will sometimes take their boats up to
the dam because the fishing is better closer to the dam.
"That's the attraction ... [but] it's very dangerous below the dam,
very dangerous," he said.
Mr. Hawk said a danger zone -- the area of the river considered
off-limits to recreational boaters -- extends 500 to 600 feet from the
dam. During boating season, state Fish and Boat Commission officers
patrol the river and issue citations to boaters who get too close.
Mr. Hawk said the corps also is investigating the incident. He said
lock operators should have seen the boaters and sounded a horn when the
men got too close to the dam, though he could not confirm that they
did. Mr. Pulice said he did not hear the horn sound.
The corps also does not put out buoys marking the "danger zones" until
May, when boat traffic gets heavier. Still, Mr. Hawk said boaters
should be aware of danger zones before they go out on the water.
Larry Furlong of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission would supply
no personal information about the three men, pending notification of
families. He would only confirm that "the boat capsized below the dam
and everyone went in the water."
Mr. Thomas said he heard conversations on the boat, which was close
enough to shore for him to have cast his line and snared, he said. From
the conversation, he said, he learned that one man was the father of
the young man who swam safely to shore.
He said both younger men were in their 20s.
Diana Nelson Jones: djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626. Moriah
Balingit: mbalingit@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2533.