Watch CBS News

Cumberland Man Missing In Boating Accident

FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. (WJZ) -- An Allegany County man is missing after a high-speed boating accident in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Dive teams will be back in the lake Monday morning, looking for the man's body.

Andrea Fujii reports severe weather, hot temperatures and the depth of the water are complicating the search efforts.

Dive teams in Fayette County, Pa. are searching the Youghiogheny Lake for a missing 50-year-old man from Cumberland.

Witnesses say his boat was going up to 80 miles an hour when it crashed.

"We were like, 'Check that out. That boat's flying by.' As soon as he turned hard left, the boat just rolled, instantly, probably 15 feet off the water it started rolling," said Brad Kester, witness/rescuer.

"We rushed over to the scene. I had two other guys jump in the water with me," said Patrick Coll, witness/rescuer. 

Witnesses were able to rescue three people.

"I automatically started throwing life jackets, everything.  The lady and the two boys are floating in the water. They were breathing and everything. I asked the mother of the one boy if there was anybody else on the boat.  She said her brother," said Kester.

The rescuers say the two boys in the water were both teens.

"I stayed out with the boat that was sinking, looking for the driver.  I went inside the whole entire boat and could not find him," said Coll.

Besides the divers, rescuers are using sonar technology to look in the water, which is 90 to 100 feet deep.

Local officials have already launched an investigation to see if speed was a factor in the accident.

The identity of the missing man has not been released.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.