Sarasota County Emergency Services says the victim's canoe overturned in frigid waters.
SARASOTA — Two medical helicopters — one from Tampa and one from St. Petersburg — were needed to transport five victims of a boating accident to local hospitals this afternoon.
Two adults and three children were injured when their canoe flipped over in frigid water on the Gulf of Mexico offshore from the 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Dr. on Longboat Key. They were suffering from exposure, according to an SNN-TV report.
Bayflite and Aeromed were used to transport the victims who were taken to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton and Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, which is a pediatric center.
SNN-TV meteorologist Dan Henry said the water temperature on the gulf in the Sarasota-Manatee area is around 59 degrees with moderate three- to five-foot waves. The conditions do not meet the requirements for a small craft advisory, he said.
Wind, locally, is expected to decrease overnight and the water should warm up, Henry said.
"Anything below 60 degrees can be a risk of hypothermia in less than 45 minutes or so if you're not wearing a wet suit," Henry said. "It should be slightly warmer for the work week, but it could be getting cooler again next weekend. It shouldn't be as bad, but lows in the upper 40s — we're definitely not out of the woods."
Five boaters rescued after flipping over in their canoe in frigid water this morning. I’ll have the story at 5@SNNTVpic.twitter.com/0D9Bx2sLu6
— Jennifer Kveglis (@JkveglisSNN)January 7, 2018SCFD units assisted Longboat Key and Manatee County EMS earlier for a canoe that overturned. Three pediatric patients were transported by Bayflite and Aeromed to All Children’s Hospital. Two adults were transported to Blake Medical Center.pic.twitter.com/AW9RsPvi7t
— SCG Emergency Svcs (@scgovEOC)January 7, 2018