Sunday, June 1, 2003

ST. JOSEPH ISLAND COLLISION FATAL
(St. Joseph Island, Ontario)

A 30-Year-old St. Josephs Island woman, Marlene Spence has died as a result of injuries she received in an accident on the Island on Friday.

At 11:00 a.m. Friday, a farm tractor was pulling a trailer northbound on the A-Line with a load of wood blocks and three passengers. The trailer broke loose from the tractor throwing the three occupants from the trailer. The trailer came to rest on its side in the east ditch.

Ms. Spence sustained critical injuries. She was transported to St. Joseph Island Hospital by ambulance and then transferred to the Sault Area Hospital Intensive Care Unit where she died today.

One-year-old Josh Spence and Shawn Spence, age 30, suffered minor injuries. Both were treated at St. Joseph Island Hospital and released.

The driver of the farm tractor was not injured in the collision.

Members of the East Algoma O.P.P. detachment, with the assistance of a Reconstructionist and Technical Traffic Collision Investigators, are currently investigating the accident.


CANOEISTS OVERTURN IN LAKE HURON
Thessalon, Ont.

Yesterday morning, 3 canoes with 9 persons aboard set out from Camp McDougall and became distressed on a trip to Gooseberry Island on the north shore of Lake Huron.

The group set out from Camp McDougall at about 10:30 a.m. One canoe capsized just south of Gooseberry Island. A second canoe picked them up. The group was then blown off course by the 15-knot winds and were reported missing by the camp staff when they failed to return at noon.

Police were contacted and the O.P.P. marine unit located one of the canoes with 5 persons north of Thessalon Island approximately 7 kilometers from their original sailing plan. The O.P.P. contacted RCC Trenton Search and Rescue who in turn contacted the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary unit stationed at Richards Landing and the U.S. Coast Guard, which dispatched a helicopter from Traverse City.

A second group of four persons were located floating in their life jackets by the U.S. helicopter which had a diver jump from the aircraft and render assistance to the people in the water. Two people were taken aboard the O.P.P. vessel and two were flown by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to hospital in the Sault.

Two persons aged 11 and 12 remain in critical condition in the Sault Area Hospital. Five persons were treated and released from Thessalon hospital and two young people are being treated for hypothermia and are expected to remain in hospital until their conditions improve.

No names are being released pending the notification of guardians and family.
One of the aluminum canoes is still missing and police are asking anyone who finds it to contact them at 1-888-310-1122.