Body of man hit by own boat pulled from Fraser River
August 24, 2009
CBC News
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The body of an Alberta man was pulled from the Fraser River near Richmond, B.C., on Sunday, a week after he was run over by his own boat in a tragic accident.
On Aug. 16, the man and a passenger had just finished gassing up their boat after running out earlier in the day while boating on the river just south of Vancouver.
But when the driver started the engine, he didn't realize the boat was already in gear and the steering wheel was cranked all the way to one side, RCMP said.
The boat took off suddenly and the driver was thrown in the water where he was repeatedly run over by the boat, before the passenger was able to bring it under control.
Once the passenger stopped the boat, he could see blood in the water and jumped in to save the driver, but was unable to find the injured man.
The driver's body was eventually found by a passing boater on Sunday in the Fraser River just east of the Riverport Movie Theatre complex in Richmond, according to the RCMP.
Alberta man presumed dead after B.C. boat accident
Aug. 16 2009
ctvbc.ca 
A grid search is underway on the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., after a man fell in the water while boating with a friend.
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Mounties were notified of the accident, off Triangle Road, just before noon Sunday. A preliminary sweep of the area by Coast Guard divers, aided by local boaters, was unsuccessful.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Ramey said the victim, a 34-year-old visiting from Alberta, is presumed drowned.
"They were out enjoying a sunny day on the water," he said. "We're not sure how he fell in or if he was wearing a life jacket."
Ramey said there is some indication the man was injured when he fell from the 14 foot fiberglass boat.
Mounties say it is too early to say if alcohol is a factor in the accident. Members of the Richmond RCMP could be seen picking up beer cans from the shoreline close to where the boat was parked.
Coast Guard divers are conducting a grid search of the area downstream from where the man was last seen, but their efforts may be hampered by changing tides.
"The tide was going out," Ramey said. "We've gone through a slack and now it's coming in."
A Richmond RCMP officer talks to a man believed to be onboard the boat when an Alberta resident fell into the Fraser River. August 16, 2009.
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