As if the events surrounding the America's Cup in San Francisco weren't bizarre enough, a car accident with a fatal outcome in the Marina Green marina has now been added to the mix. The dramatic efforts of a handful of young sailors who dared to make a selfless rescue went unrewarded.
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On Friday shortly after 5 p.m. local time, a grey minivan drove over the car park barrier at around 30 km/h without braking and crashed into the harbour basin where the AC45 cats were anchored during the America's Cup World Series and where most of the spectator stands for the America's Cup are located.
Team American Youth Sailing Force, which will represent the host city of San Francisco at the Youth America's Cup, was gathered across the street at the Golden Gate Yacht Club for a fundraising event. Alerted by eyewitnesses, six sailors immediately jumped into a motorboat and raced to the scene of the accident, about 300 metres away. Three men jumped into the water to come to the aid of the trapped driver.
"The car went under forwards but the roof was still on the surface," team captain Ian Andrewes told local radio station ABC7, which showed a short sequence of a video that Andrewes' brother recorded of the attempted rescue over the phone. "Before (the car) sank, three of our guys were in the water with tools and started to smash the rear window, but they didn't succeed completely."
The sailors and numerous onlookers watched helplessly as the car and its driver sank into the harbour basin. The emergency services and rescue divers from the fire brigade tried to salvage the wreck, but the onset of darkness and strong currents forced them to abandon their efforts. It was not until Saturday morning that the car and the body of the driver, who is said to have been a diabetic, were recovered.
There is still no information about the cause of the accident.
