Emergency response unco-ordinated after man fell off party boat: TSB

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO – The Transportation Safety Board says emergency response efforts after a man fell off a party boat in Lake Ontario last year weren’t co-ordinated.

Search efforts failed to locate 34-year-old Keith White after he fell from the Northern Spirit in June last year and drowned. His body was recovered off the Toronto shore 18 days later.

In its final report on the incident, the safety board says the passenger’s unsafe behaviour and intoxication led to him falling overboard.

But it also notes the crew didn’t realize White had been drinking when they allowed him on board and also continued to serve him alcohol.

The report further says the crew’s response to the emergency wasn’t co-ordinated because the signal to initiate the man-overboard procedure was not sounded.

It adds the crew had never performed any man-overboard drills.

The board is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation incidents. It does not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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