Good Samaritans helped saved a group of people from a sinking boat after it crashed with another underneath the Coronado Bay Bridge on Sunday.
San Diego Harbor Police said they received a call around 1:30 p.m. about a boat collision in the San Diego Bay. Officials said that once they arrived on scene they saw that a powerboat and a sailboat had collided.
There were nine people on the sailboat, including two children, and three to four people on the powerboat.
The powerboat was heavily damaged and started taking on water, Harbor PD Lt. Michael Dye said. Some people on the powerboat jumped overboard when it started sinking.
That was when retired Naval officer Kary Brownlee jumped in to help.
“We circled back and got two people out of the water right away, and let the rest come onto our boat and waited for harbor police,” said Brownlee.
He said his small boat had about a dozen people on board until Harbor PD arrived. The agency helped him transport all the passengers to shore.
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Brownlee said he was just doing what was right.
"That’s just what you do, you’re a boater," he said. "That’s what you’re supposed to do, you help out on the water. People helped us, we’ve helped other people, it’s just what you’re supposed to do."
Four people complained of pain but no one was transported to a hospital, Dye said.
“This is a perfect example of why it's important for everyone to wear life vests while on a vessel," Dye said.
Harbor PD have not said if they believe drugs or alcohol to be a factor of the collision. Port of San Diego Harbor Police is investigating the cause of the collision.
