A man was killed Sunday afternoon on Breton Bay during the Southern Maryland Boat Club’s Summer Regatta.
Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) say 58-year-old Charles David Downs, from Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County, was ejected when his boat’s bow raised up and flipped at 80 miles per hour.
A Seventh District Volunteer Fire Department Fire Boat that was on scene quickly found Downs unconscious in the water. He was wearing a life jacket.
NRP says Downs was taken to Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital, where he was stabilized and flown to MedStar Washington Hospital Center for surgery. He died around 1:00 a.m. Monday morning.
The Southern Maryland Boat Club’s annual Summer Regatta is a two-day event near Historic Leonardtown Wharf, for which the waterway is closed, in which restored racing powerboats run heats throughout the weekend.
Natural Resources Police are investigating the crash.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
