Four people are recovering on Thursday night after their sailboat nearly capsized in King Harbor and slammed into the pilings of the Redondo Beach Pier.
Authorities from the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division were called to the scene around 7:04 p.m. and found four people in the water.
Moments before their arrival the sailboat collided into the pier and broke apart, according to the Fire Department.
The crash, which destroyed the vessel, was caught on video. One recording showed the vessel nearly overturning, hitting the pilings and then righting itself.
Powerful winds and waves may have caused the incident, authorities said.
“When you come into the harbor between the break wall and between the pier itself you have to navigate through,” said Division Chief Rob Rappaport with the Redondo Beach Fire Department. “The waves and the wind pick up can push you right in if you don’t get through right away.”
All four people were rescued and transferred to Redondo Beach Fire personnel for medical evaluation, officials said.
Two were “relatively uninjured” but were treated for mild hypothermia. The other two had some abrasions and scrapes — one with a dislocated shoulder and the other with back injuries, Rappaport said.
“There’s quite a bit of force from the waves and the pilings certainly are not very forgiving,” Rappaport said. “So they’re certainly very lucky.”
The victims, three men and one women, range in age from 20 to 50, according to fire officials. All four had life jackets on during the time of the incident. They had been out sailing during a weekly boat race when they crashed.
Authorities plan to recover pieces of the wreckage on Friday morning.
