2011 Præstø Fjord dragon boat accident
The 2011 Præstø Fjord dragon boat accident was an incident that occurred on February 11, 2011 north of Præstø, Denmark. The incident involved 13 students and two teachers from Lundby Efterskole - a local continuation high school. The boat capsized due to the wind. This incident killed one of the teachers and injured most of the students, leaving several of them in permanent care. The body of the teacher, who was not wearing a lifejacket, was found on the third of April.[1]
| Date | February 11, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:22am (CET)[1] |
| Location | Præstø Fjord, Præstø, Denmark |
| Casualties | |
| 1 dead | |
| 14 injured | |
History by timeline
February 11, 2011
At 11:00 a.m. the students sailed out from the harbor of Præstø in their dragon boat to break a record set by other students two days before.[1] At 11:22 a.m. the boat capsized. Because no one on board had a phone or a radio, the students had to swim ashore to alert the authorities. The first student made it back to town at 12:42 and a full rescue mission was started.[1] Several of the students were found unconscious in the water but they were saved by fast transport to hospitals all over Zealand
2012
The management of the school was charged with manslaughter in the death of the teacher. A trial started January 2012. Based on previous trials involving incidents at similar boarding schools, the school risked being fined. During the trial it was revealed that the students felt pressured to participate in risky activities because those who refused were punished.[2]
On February 1, 2013 the court in Nykøbing Falster ruled that the school would be fined 25 fines of DKK 25,000. The headmaster of the school was sentenced to 60 days in prison, suspended. He was also banned from teaching any activities on water for three years [3]
2015
On September 25, 2015 the Medal for Noble Deeds was awarded to four of the students for their deeds at the accident.[4]
See also
References
- Sådan forløb Præstø-ulykken, Ekstra Bladet, January 22, 2013 (in Danish)
- Præstø-elever turde ikke at sige nej til sejltur inden ulykken, Denmarks Radio, January 14, 2013 (in Danish)
- Convictions handed down in boating tragedy, by Christian Wenande, The Copenhagen Post, February 1, 2013
- "Ulykken har gjort de smukke dage ekstra smukke, men også de mørke dage lidt mørkere" (in Danish). B.dk. Retrieved 2015-09-26.