Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
26 September 2006
By Torsten Ove
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06269/725038-57.stm
A weathered memorial is still tacked to a tree overlooking the Montgomery Lock and Dam in Beaver County, a tribute to four crew members who died when their towboat, the Elizabeth M, washed over the dam 21 months ago.
On Sunday night the 71-year-old Ohio River relic claimed two more victims when a pleasure boat rammed full-tilt into one of the 10 massive lift gates used to control water flow.
The cause of the wreck of the Elizabeth M hasn't been determined. But Sunday's crash appears more obvious: a combination of booze and speed.
"We strongly believe that alcohol was involved," said Beaver County Deputy Coroner Bill Pasquale. "We found empty beer cans on the boat and in the water around the boat. They hit extremely hard. The impact was like a car hitting a brick wall. They hit a steel wall."
The crash killed the owner and driver of the 26-foot boat, Martin Desantis, 41, and his brother-in-law, James Raab, 48, both of Aliquippa.
The cause of death is pending, but Mr. Pasquale said it will likely be blunt force trauma. The impact hurled both men into the cuddy cabin, where their bodies were found.
The survivor, 17-year-old Chad Marshall, had been sitting on the back bench and was thrown to the deck, suffering bruises and bumps.
Rescue crews pulled him to safety after the boat became impaled on the metal edge of the No. 4 lift gate, which extends several feet above the water level.
Chad told investigators from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission that Mr. Desantis and Mr. Raab, who was engaged to Chad's mother, Sandy Marshall, were drinking shots of whiskey on the boat in addition to beer.
Reached yesterday, Sandy Marshall said the two men started drinking while watching the Steelers game with Chad on Sunday afternoon at Mr. Raab's house on Kennedy Boulevard in Aliquippa.
At about 6 p.m., she said, they decided to take the boat out and continued drinking.
Mr. Desantis, a machinist and the father of a 14-year-old daughter, kept the craft at the 120-slip River Harbour Marina in Bridgewater, where he was well-known among the boating community on the Beaver River, a tributary to the Ohio.
"He loved his boat and he was a good boater," said owner Tracy Riley as she stood on the dock and fought back tears. "He was a responsible person."
She said he took the boat out almost every weekend, often went out at night and knew the area. She said she was surprised to hear about the drinking or that Mr. Desantis drove at top speed into the gate.
"It's just so sad," she said. "It just floors me."
Chad couldn't be reached yesterday, but he told investigators that the adults didn't know their location, although all dams on the three rivers are lighted up at night and clearly marked with danger signs and buoys well in advance of the imposing structures.
Most experienced boaters are extremely careful around dams and well aware of the danger they pose.
"He said they were not aware of where they were," said Mr. Pasquale. "They thought they were coming up on a highway traffic bridge. They realized at the last minute where they were. He said there was no way to stop. A boat doesn't have brakes."
Fishermen on the Industry side of the river witnessed the crash and said the boat hit the gate at full speed at about 9:30 p.m.
After the crash, Chad called 911 and his mother on his cell phone.
"He was screaming that he was in an accident and there was blood everywhere," said Sandy Marshall.
After that his phone went dead. Sandy Marshall at first thought he'd been in a truck accident, but when she went to the marina and saw the boat missing she realized what happened.
By then the rescue was on. A commercial tugboat finally moved into position around 11 p.m. and divers from the Beaver Falls Fire Department pulled Chad aboard.
Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for the Fish and Boat Commission, said a full report on the crash might not be finished for weeks or months.
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(Torsten Ove can be reached at tove@post-gazette.com or
412-263-1652. )