Boater injured after colliding with humpback
| • | Family sues over death on whale tour |
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — A fisherman was knocked unconscious after his 18-foot boat accidentally struck a humpback whale yesterday as he was returning to Kahului Harbor.
The man suffered head and leg injuries and was treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center, officials said.
National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration enforcement agent Rick Hawkins said the accident happened a few minutes after noon.
Hawkins said the whale breached in front of the boat, and the fisherman tried to maneuver around the animal but could not.
The man was knocked to the deck and lost consciousness for "a little while," Hawkins said. He later was able to bring the boat into the harbor.
The accident comes less than two weeks after a 3-year-old boy died after a humpback approached a whale-watch boat off O'ahu.
Naomi McIntosh, manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, said she was shocked when she heard about yesterday's incident.
"After that last incident, which was so tragic, and now this. This is equally as rare. It's just odd," McIntosh said.
Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880 or thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com.
