Ethan Allen boating accident
The Ethan Allen was a 40-foot, glass-enclosed tour boat operated by Shoreline Cruises on Lake George in upstate New York. On October 2, 2005, at 2:55 p.m. local time, with 47 passengers—mostly seniors—aboard, the Ethan Allen capsized and sank just south of Cramer Point in the Town of Lake George. Twenty passengers died, causing government regulators to consider new laws on passenger boat capacity. Boat There was a rumor that the glass windows on the boat had acted like a box, trapping the passengers inside. However, it was later established by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that there were no glass windows; they were made of acrylic glass and fitted in a swing-up frame. The frame attached to the overhead canopy. At the time of the accident, they were swung up and out of the way. They remained in that position even with the boat sinking and were still up when the boat was recovered. Further reports showed that with the canopy installed the capacity rating of the boat was 14 people. There were 47 passengers on the boat on the day of the incident. Accident The boat was carrying a tourist group, the Trenton Travelers, based out of Trenton, Michigan. The group included senior citizens from Michigan and Ohio. They were on an hour-long fall foliage tour on the lake. When the boat capsized it sent about 47 passengers and crew, including the captain into the water. The boat sank in water about deep, and witnesses told officials that passengers had not been wearing life preservers. There were multiple attempts to save individuals on the boat with people passing on boats, or who had swum from shore tossing them life preservers or pulling them out of the water. Injured passengers and crew were sent to Glens Falls Hospital by ambulances from Lake George and the nearby towns of Hague, Warrensburg, and Moreau. North Warren Emergency Medical Service (EMS), which incorporates the towns of Horicon and Chester, assisted in the effort. The Water Rescue Teams, a part of the Horicon Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), North Queensbury Volunteer Fire Company, and Lake George VFD were also called to the scene. Officials of Warren County set up a makeshift morgue on the lawn by the lake, while locals helped survivors. Victims Three passengers were treated for major injuries at local hospitals and six passengers were treated for minor injuries. The 20 deceased victims are believed to have died from drowning, not hypothermia, as the water in the lake was . Investigation Speculation about the cause of the capsizing originally centered on the sizable wake of a much larger cruise ship, the Lake George Steamboat Company's Mohican, which traverses Lake George daily. However, no evidence emerged to support this theory. Tourists at a nearby camp reported that the Mohican did not pass the area of the lake where the Ethan Allen sank until 20 minutes later. There were multiple reports by people near and around the lake of several other boats being