Newport Beach : Boat Owner Injured as Cabin Cruiser Hits Jetty
The owner of a 39-foot cabin cruiser remained hospitalized Friday after his boat rammed into a stone jetty at the Newport Bay harbor entrance and sank in about 20 feet of water, sheriff’s officials said.
The owner of the $270,000 boat, named Ferrari, was identified as Leland West, 50, of Newport Beach, said Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson. West is the owner of Newport Imports.
Witnesses fishing from the harbor’s west jetty told authorities that the boat struck the stone end of the breakwater between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday and quickly sank, Olson said.
Authorities said they don’t know why the boat crashed. Surf was not a factor, said Harbor Patrol Sgt. Dean Cordell.
West and an unidentified woman swam to the jetty, were helped to safety by fishermen and walked away without calling authorities, Olson said.
Deputies later found West in Hoag Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for internal injuries Thursday night, Olson said. A nurse at the hospital said West was in stable condition Friday.
Sheriff’s Department scuba divers found no other passengers, Olson said. But they reported “substantial damage to the bow.”
West’s insurance company is arranging to have the boat salvaged, Olson said.
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