Five people sustain minor injuries in Kelleys Island boat crash

8/5/2011
BLADE STAFF

KELLEYS ISLAND, Ohio -- Five people were injured early Friday morning when a 25-foot fiberglass pleasure boat struck a concrete stone-loading quarry dock on Kelleys Island, authorities said.

Four passengers sustained minor injuries in the 1:45 a.m. crash and were taken by helicopter to Cleveland-area hospitals, where they were treated and released, according to Kelleys Island Police Officer Jack Wade.

The driver of the boat also received minor injuries for which he would seek treatment on his own, Officer Wade said.

Details of the crash and the names of the victims were not released. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident.

Officer Wade said that while Friday's incident was relatively minor, emergency responders and local residents were on a higher alert following Tuesday night's fatal boat crash into a break water wall on Ballast Island.

"It sounded a lot worse than it was," he said of the Kelleys Island dock crash.