Passenger ejected from boat after it collides with rock at Sand Hollow State Park

The lake at Sand Hollow State Park Utah, July 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Brodie Rose, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A family had just started their day on the lake at Sand Hollow State Park on Saturday when their boat hit some rocks, leading to a passenger being ejected off the front, according to authorities.

Damage to a boat that hit a rock in the lake of Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah, on April 25, 2020. | Photo courtesy Utah State Parks, St. George News

The boat, which was full of passengers, was traveling about 25 miles an hour before the boat collided with the rock. When the passenger was ejected, the boat went over her while she was submerged but did not cause any injuries.

“The lake is almost full and as the lake levels change, different obstacles can be just under,” Sand Hollow State Park manager Johnathan Hunt said. “Many people are familiar with the island of red rock that’s out on the lake. That island has little fingers I guess, little pieces that rise up. A family was on a boat and they hit some red rock that was just underneath the surface of the water. It knocked one of the passengers out of the boat and apparently the boat went over top of her. Luckily there were no injuries.”

Hunt said that there are buoys to show where the rocks are located but sometimes boats come too close to the buoys, causing crashes. He said that is probably what caused this crash.

The boat is brand new and the shaft of the propeller broke in half due to the crash.

An ambulance was originally called to Sand Hollow State Park but they were cancelled when there were no injuries.

The accident came on a day the park was full of activity that forced it to be closed off to new visitors.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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