While traveling to the John Hunter Memorial Regatta April 4 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., two members of Miami University's club crew team overturned a truck on a guardrail in Mt. Vernon, Ky.
According to team President Meghan Montana, the driver sustained head injuries and a concussion, along with a few cuts and scratches. The passenger suffered from a concussion, as well as a fractured right elbow and a sprained right ankle.
However Montana said that no one else was injured.
The truck was hauling the team's equipment for the weekend's races on an 80-foot trailer. The trailer was carrying five boats and all five were thrown off of the trailer along with other equipment such as the team's oars.
The team is awaiting the police report to find out exactly what happened but Montana, who traveled to the accident, said weather was probably a big factor since it had been raining heavily while the two members had been driving. Montana said she thinks the truck lost control, hydroplaned and overturned on the guardrail.
The two passengers are both juniors at Miami and varsity team members.
"They were able to walk away and were very fortunate," Montana said. "That is more important because no one else was injured."
Director of Club Sports and Staff Training, Michael Arnos, said he is thankful no one was hurt too greatly.
"Any time there is a crash of this magnitude it is something that our department takes very seriously," Arnos said via e-mail. "First and foremost we are concerned about the injured students and their well-being. The damaged equipment can be replaced."
The driver and passenger were released from a local hospital the same day and brought back to campus by a Miami police officer, according to Montana.
However, Montana said that only two of the five boats could potentially be repaired. The other three were totaled. According to Montana, the three boats that were destroyed were bigger and typically seat eight people in a race, making them more expensive, while the two boats that might be repaired only seat four members.
The team has sent pictures of the damage to insurance and is now waiting for a response. "The majority of our oars should be fine," Montana said. "The trailer and the truck are totaled. Until we talk to insurance we won't know exactly how the boat situation will work."
Accoridng to senior Tom Veed, equipment manager for the team, it will not be able to get the initial investment in the boats back.
"The insurance works on a depreciating scale," Veed said. "Boats depreciate on a fast scale."
Due to the smaller amount of boats and loss of money, recruitment for the team may be a little less next year, according to Veed. He said the team usually aims to recruit 32 rowers-16 men and 16 women-but that number may be forced to shrink.
"It may impact our ability to recruit a large number of novice because we need equipment to row in," Veed said.
According to Montana, the boats, truck and trailer are insured. The eight passenger boats cost about $30,000 new per boat while the four-seat boats cost about $18,000 new. However, Montana said while the team will not be suffering too much financial loss, it should be careful with expenses.
"I wouldn't say we are in the financial red," Montana said. "It's because our equipment is so expensive, we walk a delicate line."
While the team lost five boats, they still have six remaining boats that were left at Miami, leaving the team able to compete in the last races of the season. The team will be back on the water practicing Tuesday.
Veed said the team has been in existence since 1987 and will work through the equipment loss and accident.
"This team is going to be OK and we are going to be able to get through this," Veed said.
Arnos agrees that the team will work through the accident.
"The Miami crew team is a very close group and they are resilient," Arnos said via e-mail. "I commend the leadership of the group for their handling of the situation and for all of their efforts to communicate information from the site of the crash. I wish the injured students the best in their recovery and will continue to work the officers to get the club back to full strength."
Veed, however, said the team will be at a shortage for equipment for the next couple of years.
"It takes us a long time to build up that kind of revenue … We had the best equipment on the trailer," Veed said.
Arnos said the team is already on the way to raising money to cover costs for the accident.
"They have already begun a fundraising campaign to replace what the insurance will not cover," Arnos said via e-mail.
The crew team gets about half of Miami's club sports funding since it is so large, Veed said. Funding also comes from dues, alumni donations and fundraisers.
