Md. Woman, 23, Dies after Powerboat Strikes Shoal

A young Eastern Shore woman passed away at the hospital Sunday night after she was thrown from a powerboat on the Corsica River.

Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) say a 17-foot Sea Ray struck a shoal while traveling on the river Saturday afternoon. 23-year-old Hannah Ash, from Chester on Kent Island, was standing near the helm at the bow of the boat and was thrown overboard.

It happened near the red buoy number 8, according to local reports. After Ash went over the front of the boat, police say the vessel continued going forward and struck her in the water. She was flown to a trauma center by Maryland State Police medevac and succumbed to her injuries the next night.

NRP says it continues to investigate the accident, which happened on the same day that another powerboating fatality was reported, this one on the Sassafras River.

In that case, witnesses had seen an unsecured boat along the river’s north shoreline near Ordinary Point, NRP tells Bay Bulletin. When they tried to secure the vessel, they found a man’s body not too far away. NRP responded to the scene around 1:30 p.m., where they found the 15-foot Boston Whaler and the man, who was later identified as 63-year-old Robert Casseday from Delaware.

NRP says that investigation is also ongoing.

-Meg Walburn Viviano