A Texas man died tragically after a party boat navigating Lake Conroe capsized in bad weather Saturday evening.
53 Passengers Were Aboard Double-Decker Party Boat, Including Children
The August 14th accident occurred at approximately 8:12 p.m., as the Lake Conroe Queen was off Regency Point about 40 miles north of Houston. The double-decker stern-wheeler flipped over during a strong thunderstorm, spilling all 53 passengers, including children as young as 18-months-old, into a shallow area just offshore.
Residents of a nearby apartment complex immediately began rescuing people from the water.
“Man, it was a pretty rough scene because the waves were five or six feet at least, and we were slowly pulling people back,” one witness told ABC13. “And finally, the police got here, and they dove into the water and checked, and it seems like we got everybody accounted for.”
Paramedics rushed two passengers to a nearby hospital, including an 80-year-old Montgomery man who experienced cardiac issues and later died at the hospital. A woman who had suffered a panic attack was taken to the emergency room in stable condition.
The remaining passengers underwent decontamination to remove diesel fuel before being transported back to their vehicles.
Lake Conroe Queen Made Texas Home this Summer
The Lake Conroe Queen is a reproduction of an 1860s riverboat. Constructed in Michigan in 1986, the vessel had traveled to Indiana, Colorado, and Louisiana before making Lake Conroe its permanent home this summer.
The Lake Conroe Queen can accommodate up to 60 passengers for lunch, dinner, and sunset tours, as well as private events. Although it’s powered by two diesel engines, the vessel also features a slowly churning paddlewheel for a more authentic experience.
Game wardens from the Texas Fish and Wildlife Department are investigating the capsizing. While weather obviously played a role in the incident, an exact cause is yet to be determined.
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Our Undefeated Texas Maritime Lawyers are investigating the Lake Conroe Queen capsizing and will post updates if new information is made available.
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