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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A well-known local businessman lost his life in a Saturday evening incident in which his boat ran aground and hit a deck.
Byron Whipple, 54, of Lakeport died as a result of a crash.
Lt. Brad Rasmussen of the Lakeport Police Department said the incident occurred just before 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lucky Four Trailer Resort, located at 1060 N. Main St.
Rasmussen said four Lakeport Police units along with Lakeport Fire Protection District responded to secure the scene.
While the Lake County Sheriff's Marine Patrol responded to the scene police and firefighters provided medical aid and removed Whipple's body from the boat, which Rasmussen described as a deckboat. He said police also assisted with interviewing witnesses.
“There were numerous citizens in the area that witnessed the incident,” Rasmussen said.
Witnesses reported that Whipple, who was alone on the boat, was approaching the shore at full throttle – estimated to be between 40 and 50 miles per hour.
A large group of about 40 people was holding a get-together at the resort when they saw the boat barreling toward them and they ran to get out of the way, according to one witness account shared with Lake County News by Donna Queenen.
The boat came aground and went up underneath a fixed deck that Queenen said had people on it.
“No one else was injured,” said Rasmussen.
Based on witness statements, there is concern that Whipple may have had a medical emergency beforehand. His head was reported to have been down, leading to speculation that he may have had a heart attack.
Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke said he'd never seen such a crash. He confirmed that police had received reports about a possible medical issue, but said it's still too early to know what may have happened.
Rasmussen said the Sheriff's Marine Patrol is the lead agency in the investigation, however Sgt. Dennis Ostini, who supervises the marine patrol, couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.
Whipple, a licensed real estate broker, has since 1992 been the owner/broker for City Center Realty, located in an ornate blue Victorian at 975 N. Main Street.
According to the biography on his Web site, Whipple – who held a bachelor's degree from California State University, Sacramento in real estate and land use affairs –was a past president of the Clear Lake Board of Realtors, a California Association of Realtors state director for many years and a past president of the Greater Lakeport Chamber of Commerce.
“He was a gentleman who never stopped caring for his community,” Lake County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton said Sunday.
Fulton said Whipple had been an avid ski racer and an excellent athlete but was severely injured many years ago in a ski racing accident. His biography explained he was a former USA Water Ski Racing Team member.
Whipple would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life following his accident, but it didn't prevent him from being active. His biography noted that he continued to enjoy bass fishing and had a “vast knowledge of the lake and its shoreline.”
“He did not let his disabilities caused by the accident keep him down, in business or in life,” Fulton said. “His resolution, in spite of those disabilities, to be a contributor to family and society is a lesson for anyone who suffers setbacks such as he did.”
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