The U.S. and Canadian coast guards responded to a sinking boat last week just off Point Roberts, a U.S.-controlled tip of a British Columbia peninsula in the Salish Sea, but the family of a man who died in the water said the response was inadequate.
Kevin Finkbonner, a fisherman and member of the Lummi Nation, was in the water for more than an hour before rescuers arrived and failed to resuscitate him, the family said in a statement.
A rescue call came in to the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound just before 4 p.m. Aug. 11, with reports that a 25-foot skiff with two people on board was taking on water close to the red can buoy" near Point Roberts, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Rescue crews launched from Coast Guard Station Bellingham and Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles. The Canadian Coast Guard sent its 90-foot hovercraft, the Siyay, which is stationed in Richmond, B.C.
A good Samaritan vessel also responded to the call and pulled Finkbonner's brother, Brad Finkbonner, from the water. After the crew with the Canadian Coast Guard found Kevin Finkbonner, they performed lifesaving measures before taking him to Blaine Harbor, where he was pronounced dead.
In his obituary, Finkbonner was described as an avid fisherman and outdoorsman who also worked as a commercial fisherman, among other trades.
In a video message to members, Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire read a statement from Finkbonner's parents, Ronnie and Alena Finkbonner.
The statement said even as they mourned their son, they "can't stay silent about the circumstances surrounding his passing. It is deeply troubling that when tragedy struck, [a] quick and effective response was not there." Hillaire said that Finkbonner was "only a mile and half" from Point Roberts Harbor "yet help did not arrive in time."
The statement read by Hillaire said that the Finkbonner brothers "were in the water for more than an hour before rescue reached them."
The family said they faced "added trauma by being treated without compassion or respect," and said the community must "confront" the delayed emergency response.
According to Whatcom News, the Lummi Nation Police Department is conducting a death investigation. When contacted, the department said it could not comment on an open investigation.
The Whatcom County sheriff's office and medical examiner both referred questions to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Petty Officer 1st Class Steve Strohmaier, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson, provided a timeline showing a 46-minute wait between the distress call and the brother's rescue.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a "mariners in distress" call at 3:52 p.m., but the Canadians were the first on scene, at 4:18 p.m., due to the remote location. The good Samaritan was there before the American vessel, which arrived at 4:38 p.m.
Strohmaier added that there was some delay because the distress call didn't come directly to them via a VHF radio, which is recommended, but not required, on recreational boats.
Instead, one of the brothers called his wife to report that the boat was sinking. She then called 911, which relayed the emergency request to the Coast Guard, Strohmaier said.
After that, Coast Guard staff had to be briefed on water and weather conditions, as well as identify the location of the emergency.
"It's not a snap of the fingers," Strohmaier said.
Regardless, Capt. Michael Hunt, the search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, said in a statement that the international response was key to the rescue.
This rescue highlights the importance of our Canadian partners and good Samaritans out on the water willing to offer their assistance in an emergency," Hunt said. "Conditions on the water can change rapidly, and someone in the right place at the right time can make all the difference."
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