Officials name victim, release details from Lake Linganore dam boating accident
June 29--Officials continue to investigate the details surrounding a boating accident at the Lake Linganore dam Saturday night that left one man dead and eight others injured.
The man, identified as Stephen Wade Hembree, 62, of New Market, was operating the 20-foot pontoon boat when it went over the dam at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening, according to Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the agency handling the investigation.
Hembree's body was found nearly five hours after the accident was reported, according to Capt. Kevin Fox, a spokesman for the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services. The other eight, all children under 18 years old, were rescued from the water and taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, although officials could not give details on the extent of their injuries.
'Masterful' rescue
Nearby residents reported hearing cries for help from the area by the dam at about 6:30 p.m., Fox told The News-Post previously. More than 60 people representing numerous area fire departments, emergency medical crews and deputies responded to the scene of the incident in a wooded, hilly area near the intersection of Eaglehead Drive and Woodridge Drive, according to Fire Chief Ben Nalborczyk of New Market Volunteer Fire Co.
Four of the eight juveniles had jumped before the boat went over the dam, Thomson said, while the other four, and Hembree, went over the dam with the boat.
Several of those who'd jumped were found clinging to trees and the ledge of the dam, according to Fox. Another three on the boat, two 17-year-old females and one 15-year-old, were hoisted out of the spillway by a Maryland State Police helicopter, according to a statement from state police. Others were pulled out of the water by first responders.
Thomson described the rescue as a "masterful job by Frederick County," noting that the stormy and dark conditions made the rescue more difficult.
Those rescued were taken by ambulance to FMH for what Nalborcyzk described as non-life threatening injuries.
"It was just a routine checkup kind of thing, for exposure to water," he said of the injuries, which did not include any fractures or broken bones.
Spokespeople with FMH did not return phone calls seeking comment on the patients.
Hembree's death
Hembree's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. Bruce Goldfarb, a spokesman for the medical examiner's office, confirmed Sunday afternoon that the autopsy had occurred, with results sent to the police and state's attorney's office.
No additional details on the results of the autopsy were available, officials said.
According to reports from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Hembree was first seen alive, wedged between two large rocks about 100 yards from the spillway, Thomson said. Though he'd survived the fall over the dam, the rapidly-rising and turbulent waters likely caused his death before he could be rescued, she said.
As of Sunday afternoon, investigators were conducting interviews with the survivors and researching additional details about the cause of the accident.
Lake Linganore only allows boats with electric motors like that of the pontoons. Given the turbulence and runoff caused by Saturday's storms, the motor was likely not powerful enough for Hembree to steer the boat out of harm's way once it was swept toward the spillway, Thomson said.
"That kind of boat is not easily maneuverable ... it's made for family gatherings, not for fighting strong, stormy currents," she said.
Thomson said police are also looking into Hembree's familiarity with the boat, which was owned by a friend and presumably borrowed by Hembree for the day. Details on why the group set off on the water after storms, rainfall and flood warnings were also being investigated, Thomson said.
None of the boat passengers were wearing life jackets when they were found, according to Thomson.
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Copyright 2015 - The Frederick News-Post, Md.
