Port Richey Casino Boat Fire - one dead & 50 Rescued

As you know many land-based casinos offer different extras, some are giving you the chance to travel to another casino nearby for a night or two, depending on the package you choose. A fewer number of casinos offer a casino boat trip. The unfortunate event that we will show you today happened exactly on one of those boats, named Island Lady and owned by Tropical Breeze Casino Cruz LLC. The tragic incident happened on the 14th of January 2018 when all 50 or so passengers were forced to jump in the waters of Tampa Bay to save their lives, but unfortunately, 1 woman was hospitalized. The sum after the accident is simple and tragic - one dead, 50 rescued from Florida casino boat fire.
Burning Boat in the Sea Share on Pinterest

We gathered some additional information regarding the accident and the tragic fate of the only casualty – Carrie Dempsey. On the 14th of January 2018, Island Lady was moving on schedule and everything seemed to be alright. An interesting fact is that Island Lady was initially a whale-watching vessel which was later turned into a casino ferry boat. The investigation afterwards showed that the boat was inspected and with valid permission to sail. Onboard there were 53 people, including all passengers and crew members. The problem was that the majority of them were over 60 years old and that was an obstacle when it was time to leave the ship and jump into the shallow waters of Tampa Bay.

Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, right after the boat sailed from the Port Richey dock a fire occurred in the engine room. Witnesses of the accident say that the fire spread over the whole boat in literally less than 30 minutes and it was necessary for all passengers and crew members to leave it in a rush. Investigators say that the main reason for the Port Richey casino boat fire was the overheated engine which was left idling while the boat was on the dock. Owing to the lack of heat and smoke sensors, including the lack of firefighting training of the crew and the fact that it was a wooden boat with more than 25 years in open waters, this caused the terrible turn of events that we witnessed. On the other side, the yearly inspection was passed, and the vessel was audited as “save to use”.

The immediate reaction of the crew and the coastal guards prevented the fatal outcome of the situation, while only 16 passengers were lightly injured but quite intoxicated from the inhaled smoke. More than half of all passengers on board were old people and many of them got injured while jumping from the boat to the cold and shallow waters of Tampa Bay. Thanks to bystanders of this terrible event you can see the Port Richey casino boat fire video with your own eyes located right below the text. If you are looking for additional information and videos you should check the article of our colleagues from Daily Mail UK.

Carrie Dempsey Passed Away – Florida Casino Boat Fire

Because Carrie is the only casualty in this tragic accident, we decided, first of all, to honour her by dedicating the article to her and secondly to show you what type of person she was. Her friends and family described her as a communicative and bright person who was also leading seminars with educational purposes in the local libraries.

She was only 42 years old and mother of two kids living in the North parts of Tampa. Up to this date, her death still remains a mystery to all homeowners around the Harborpoint Drive which sheltered all injured people in their garages and living rooms until the medical help arrived. From all passengers, only 16 entered the Bayonet Point Reginal Medical Center, while 8 of them were released before the evening.

Unfortunately, Dempsey was having trouble breathing and she was left in the hospital for the night. She also advised that she felt pain at the bottom of her feet but taking under consideration the lack of cuts they told her that this was probably because of the many bruises from their wading to shore. As the Florida casino boat fire video shows how everybody is jumping into the shallow waters.The doctors said that her difficulty breathing was the result of an allergic reaction from an unknown chemical she inhaled during the accident.

Burning Candle

They were preparing to transport her to the Regional Burn Center at Tampa General Hospital when at around 10 PM, Dempsey stopped breathing due to the swelling throat that choked off her oxygen. The conditions around her death are still a bit of a mystery because she was not asthmatic, and she had no known allergies or lung diseases. Everything happened very quickly, her relatives still cannot believe how she left them so spontaneously.

The following investigation around her death was not shared with the public. Her family asked her friends to keep a distance from any public announcements and keep a high level of privacy. William Pellan was the leading investigators and he also said that Carrie was the only passenger with such complaints. He stated the fact that each person`s body reacts differently to the chemicals that were released with the smoke of the burning boat like fibreglass, fuel, cleaning chemicals, plastic and of course the strong concentration of carbon dioxide could harm anyone. All other passengers were okay, but it appears that Carrie was the only woman that died after the Port Richey casino boat fire in Florida.

After Carrie Dempsey passed away, her family started an internet fund-raising through a popular website which helps people in need. For 8 days over 550 people successfully contributed over $44,000 to her family and two kids Chad and Megan. Unfortunately crowded places and motorized vehicles hide certain danger like this one, and that’s why we always recommend online casinos because they are safe, they are easy to use and most importantly, they give better bonuses. After all, what major injury you can get from the comfort of your own living room?

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