A boating accident over the weekend in California left only one survivor, who is an 11 year-old boy.
According to the Daily Mail, the 11 year-old had set off with his father, and two brothers on a voyager north of San Francisco. The family set out Saturday for a crabbing trip in Bodega Bay. Eventually, their vessel capsized in rough waters.
The 11 year-old survivor used a cooler to stay afloat after entering the rough waters. A search effort was made after reports of the accident made the rounds. Miraculously, the lone survivor actually swam his way back to shore, and was only rescued once on land.
According to Misti Wood, who is a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the young boy 'self-rescued.' Wood continued to explain that after swimming back to shore with his cooler, he was finally rescued after a passerby saw him walking along Highway 1.
Chief Petty Officer Levi Read, of the United States Coast Guard confirmed that the survivor is now in stable condition. Moreover, Read did confirm that one of the survivor''s brothers was found dead along the shore. Likewise, Read shared that survivability of any of the other four boaters is extremely 'unlikely.'
Notably, Coast Guard search efforts were suspended Sunday around 6:30 PM. At the point of suspension, rescue efforts had covered 2100 square miles over 57 hours.
11 Year-Old Is Lone Survivor After Boat Capsizes Off California Coast
Making the tragedy all the more noteworthy is the unique history the of the survivor's family. The survivor is a cousin of three children who survived a mass shooting in November 2017, and his two brothers were also present during thew shooting as well.
Those brothers, who died Saturday, are 17 year-old Johnny Jr., and 14 year-old Jake. Their father, who is presumed deceased, is named Johnny Phommathep. He is survived by his wife Tiffany.
Regardless of past tragedies, Saturday's accident is obviously significant enough on its own. Certainly, Tiffany did not wake up that morning anticipating an eventual mourning of the death of her husband and two sons.
The accident is a tragic reminder of the unforgiving nature of Earth's oceans, and the sudden dangers they can create.
