Long Beach yacht crash leaves 1 dead, 3 critically hurt

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A boat crash in Long Beach late Wednesday night left one person dead and several others hospitalized. 

According to the Long Beach Fire Department, the call came in at 9:21 p.m. from the Alamitos Bay Jetty in Long Beach after a boat crashed into rocks and started taking on water. A rescue boat arrived and found a mass casualty incident involving the boat crash.

Investigators said there were a total of 11 people on board. Rescue boats performed five physical rescues, while the remaining passengers were rescued from the jetty.

One man was declared dead at the scene and 10 patients were transported to local hospitals. 

"I saw the rocks and it flew up like that," said Angel Mendoza, a witness.

Mendoza said he had been fishing on the jetty with friends when he saw the boat crash.

"Everyone was bleeding and one guy, his body was just lying there, on the top of the [boat’s] dashboard," said Mendoza.

The victim who died is described as a man in his 40s or 50s. One friend told FOX 11 that the man worked in real estate. Of the 10 other people on board, three were critically injured. Authorities said seven people required advanced life support.

"It was a chaotic scene for sure, pretty hectic," said Josh Agnew who works nearby. "I didn’t really know what was going on at the time, then we saw a bunch of stuff on the news."

The large boat and debris were still bobbing in the water Thursday evening.

Several curious people were making the long walk out to see it.

"You can see blood all over the rocks, a lot of blood," said Mike Mapstead. "It’s just senseless. [They were supposed] to be having a good time."

The boat involved in the incident was described as a 40-foot pleasure craft. While the cause of the fatal crash is unknown, officials say speed is believed to be a contributing factor.

The investigation is ongoing and being handled by the Long Beach Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.