2 men injured after their boat crashes into Lorain break wall, but this isn’t the first crash there

LORAIN, Ohio (WOIO) - The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two men after a boat crashes into the Lorain break wall Friday night.

The crash happened at about 10:30 p.m. as the men were coming in from a day of fishing.

One man was unconscious on the boat when help arrived, and the other victim had been launched on to the break wall, but was conscious and talking when he was rescued. Both were transported to the hospital. Their names and conditions have not been released.

But this isn’t the first time a boat accident happened because of the break wall.

Tragically two people died when the boat they were in crashed into the Lorain break wall on July 4th of 2018.

John Piskura of Lake Erie Tow Boat and Salvage had to tow the boats in after the crashes and says, “There are two major things that are a bad combination the high water, and a really, really dark night. With the high water that unlit section of break wall is only like four feet of the water now because of the high water, so you’re traveling along in a boat, it’s impossible to see.”

Piskura is talking about the dangers that surround the break wall and likely contributed to Friday's boat accident.

“There are sections of it that if you’re unfamiliar with the area or unfamiliar with boating or navigating lights it is virtually invisible,” Piskura said.

From the condition of the boat, the victims were likely only traveling about 20 to 25 miles per hour when they hit the wall Piskura estimates. But he says his stomach sank when he heard the radio traffic because it’s something he’s heard before. In particular, when the boat crashed back in 2018.

“That’s why every time we have a call like that it sticks with you because it could be a bad one,” Piskura said. But he also has hope that new lighting planned for the break wall to make it more visible will change that. Because he says more people than ever are boating this year and he wants to warn everyone to exercise caution no matter where you are.

“This particular break wall causes it to stick out so far, that’s partly what makes this so dangerous,” Piskura said.

After the deadly boat crash in 2018, a grant for $2.1-Million dollars was received to improve the lighting at the Lorain break wall.

19 News was told the work is reportedly already underway and is set to be complete by the end of 2020 in hopes of keeping other boaters safe from a danger they can’t see.

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