One dead following injury near Vanderveer Island

One man is dead following a boating-related injury on Vanderveer Island earlier this morning, March 13, at approximately 3 a.m.

The injury involved a group of boaters who had traveled to Vanderveer Island as part of a fishing trip, according to a statement by Calhoun County Sheriff Bobbie Vickery. The individual was injured while wading in the shallows near the group's boat and trying to guide the vessel to a channel. According to Vickery, the individual suffered the injury when the boat slipped and struck him on his legs.

“A group of men were staked out at the Vanderveer Island area and had been out for a couple of days on a fishing trip. The tide went out last night and they were waiting on the tide to come back in so they could get back out,” Vickery said. “At approximately 3 a.m., one of the group was standing out on the sandbar with a lantern to point out where the channel was so they could get out since it was still shallow. The boat slid sideways and caught wrong and basically took the feet off the individual.”

The individual was transported to the dock at Froggies in Port O’Connor before being taken by Calhoun County EMS units to Memorial Medical Center, where he was later declared deceased. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is currently conducting an ongoing investigation on the incident.

“It is still an open investigation, but it appears to be a tragic accident. No foul play is believed to have occurred at this time,” Vickery said.