Rescued boatie says ‘keep flares up-to-date’
13/01/2021
A man who suffered burns from a boat fuel leak has been rescued in Australia after firing flares – and tells boaties to keep flares up-to-date.
Teacher Cameron Haynes and a friend were collecting cray pots off Geraldton, Western Australia, one day in January, when a wave overturned their boat.
They could not get in as the boat was full of water, Mr Haynes told ABC News. They donned lifejackets and fired flares to get help.
As Mr Haynes tired to open the fuel tank to make a flotation device, he became soaked with fuel, which caused burns to his chest and also his back.
The flares were seen on the shore by a person who contacted Marine Rescue Geraldton. Assistant commander Jim McCombe says, “If it had not been for the flare they would have been in serious trouble.”
The men were rescued and Mr Haynes was later treated at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth for the burns.
He advises boaties to always carry in-date flares. “Stock up on those good life jackets, make sure your flares are up to date,” he says.
