GLENHAVEN — On Tuesday at 4:25 p.m., a boating accident with injuries was reported from the area of the Glenhaven Beach Resort in Glenhaven, according to Captain James Bauman, Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) public information officer.
Emergency personnel from the sheriff”s department responded by both water and land. Rescue personnel from the Northshore Fire Protection District, Lake County Fire Protection District, and CALFire also responded to the scene.
A deputy assigned to the Clearlake Oaks area was the first on scene and upon arrival, found a 24-foot Blue Water power boat that ran aground on some rocks and crashed into a seawall in the area of the resort.
The vessel”s operator, James Wickersham, 59, of Lucerne, was found still on board. The vessel had sustained extensive damage and Wickersham had sustained major injuries.
He was ultimately flown out of county to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by a REACH air ambulance for treatment.
A passenger on the boat, Natasha Young, 54, of San Ramon, was ejected from the vessel and into the lake prior to it crashing into the rocks and seawall.
Young was pulled from the water by an unidentified boater on a personal water craft (PWC) in the area. She was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries and later released.
Much has yet to be investigated in determining the cause of the crash.
It appears however, that the 24-foot boat was approaching a point of land near the Sea Breeze Resort in Glenhaven when for some unknown reason while Wickersham steered away to avoid the point, the boat hit a retractable dock that was suspended above the surface of the lake. The crash apparently incapacitated Wickersham and caused Young to be ejected into the water.
The boat continued without an operator at a speed believed to be about 35 to 40 mph, in a circular pattern until eventually crashing into the rocks and seawall ashore.
Wickersham”s exact condition is unknown, however he is believed to be in critical but stable condition. It does not appear that alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor in the crash.
