Two Injured in Power Boat Accident

Power boat racer Tom Pappas of Santa Barbara and his two crew members, navigator Alex Pappas and throttleman Carson Brummett, were plucked from the Pacific Ocean and airlifted to shore by helicopter after their boat, Imperial Palace, broke apart during the Long Beach Rum Run Sunday.

Tom Pappas, 55, who temporarily lost consciousness, suffered facial cuts and a concussion, according to a Long Beach Memorial Hospital spokesman. He was in fair condition Sunday night. Alex Pappas, Tom’s 17-year-old son, was treated and released.

Brummett, 41, of Pasadena, was taken to San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition Sunday night with mutiple bruises, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The 39-foot Scarab power boat, valued at $250,000, sank almost instantly after the front end shattered about 15 miles offshore, said spokesman Dan Stiel of the Pacific Offshore Power Boat Racing Assn.

Jim Duvall, 50, of Long Beach won the 113-mile race that consists of two laps to Catalina. The Pappas mishap happened on the final leg of the second lap.