Boater injured in explosion Sunday in Port Clinton
6/24/2013PORT CLINTON -- A Winchester, Ohio man was injured during an explosion on his 40-foot cabin cruiser when he stopped to refuel the boat at Foxhaven Marina in Port Clinton.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said Theodore Philput, 46, suffered burns on Sunday to the front of his legs, arms, and abdomen after refueling the boat’s tanks and then attempting to start the vessel.
The boat’s engines appeared to start and then stop, authorities said, and the owner came down from the fly bridge, entered the cabin area, then opened a hatch on the rear deck. A witness told authorities that when the hatch opened, the witness heard a click and saw an explosion with brief flames and then smoke.
The boat’s owner was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. A hospital spokesman said Mr. Philput was released from the hospital today.
Authorities reported Brandt Buckholz, 18, of Chippewa Lake, Ohio received minor injuries and was not treated. The boat was extensively damaged.