PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Coast Guard has launched a formal marine casualty investigation into the deadly capsizing of a commercial fishing vessel Coastal Reign in Tillamook Bay.
Four people had to be rescued from the 38-foot vessel around 4:40 p.m. Saturday, February 20. Emergency crews said all of the boats’s occupants were taken to local hospitals but two of the victims were unresponsive at the time.
The ship’s crew had attempted to cross the Tillamook Bay Bar inbound when the vessel tipped over.
Two of the victims later died in the hospital — one was identified as 51-year-old Todd Chase. A GoFundMe page has since been made to support Chase’s wife and children.
Upon completion, the Coast Guard said it will issue a report of investigation with collected evidence, established facts and conclusions and recommendations regarding the deaths.