24 Spectators Hurt in Racing Boat Crash

A racing boat apparently hit debris in the water during a 50-lap race Sunday and flew up a river bank into a crowd of spectators, injuring 24 people, including 11 children, police said.

The Three Rivers Regatta, regarded as the premier U.S. Formula One Grand Prix race on the circuit, was halted for 90 minutes while rescue teams and ambulances tried to get to the accident scene in Roberto Clemente Park, where hundreds had gathered to watch the race at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, police said.

Congested With Cars

The area also was congested with cars from people attending a Pirates-New York Mets baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium, located adjacent to the riverside park in the heart of Pittsburgh.

An estimated 100,000 people were scattered along the banks of the rivers watching the 15-boat race, which was on the seventh lap at the time of the accident, officers on the scene said.

“It was a mess,” police officer John Potter said.

The injured were taken to five hospitals, and police said eight people were listed in critical condition.

Race officials said the propeller of a boat driven by Robert Wood, 23, of North Peterborough, Ontario, apparently snagged debris and came off, and the boat veered out of control.

Railroad Tie Recovered

Another driver in the race, John Provich, said officials recovered a railroad tie from the river with propeller marks on it.

Witnesses said the boat suddenly became airborne in choppy water while in a straightaway, veered sharply to the right and slammed into spectators on the grassy, wooded river bank. The boat’s engines were off when it hit the bank at about 40 m.p.h. and flipped several times, the witnesses said.

“I saw it when it hit,” said Debbie Triantafilo of Pittsburgh, who was selling soft drinks near the accident. “It happened pretty quickly. It hit about a dozen people.”

Barry Carras, medical director for the U.S. Formula One Grand Prix race, said Wood suffered slight injuries and was being treated for shock.

Officials said they did not know how fast the boat was traveling at the time of the accident. The top speed during qualifying runs was 119 m.p.h.

Landed on Side

The accident occurred after the boat passed beneath the Ft. Duquesne Bridge. The boat landed on its side, with the engine toward the spectators and the bow toward the water.

Jane Montgomery, nursing supervisor at Allegheny General Hospital, said four of the injured were still being evaluated.

Others were taken to Divine Providence Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Presbyterian-University Hospital and Mercy Hospital.

Formula One boats, which have eight- and six-cylinder engines and weigh up to 1,000 pounds, are the fastest outboard-powered race boats in the world, according to the race’s sponsors. Drivers can reach speeds of more than 140 m.p.h. on straightaways and 90 m.p.h. on turns, officials said.