5-Year-old Boy, Metairie Man Killed In Separate Boating Accidents

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported the tragic deaths of a five-year-old Houma boy and a 44-year-old Metairie man that occurred Saturday night.

Our news partners at KATC first reported on both of the incidents Sunday.

A five-year-old Houma boy was killed late Saturday while on a frogging trip with his father near the Houma suburb of Bourg.

Authorities said the small boat the pair was in ran out of fuel before Ethan Hancock’s father began paddling across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

When a tugboat pushing two barges approached the Hancocks, both father and son jumped in the water to avoid being hit.

The two were separated with the father able to swim away from the tugboat, but Hancock got sucked under the tugboat.

The child was wearing a life vest.

In the other incident, LDWF agents say a boater was killed near Grand Isle after hitting his head on a piling.

Agents responded to the call around 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning regarding a boater who suffered from serious head trauma.

Officials say that Sims was a passenger on a 28-foot vessel traveling at a high rate of speed in the Caminada Pass in Grand Isle heading to Port Fourchon.

The victim, 44-year-old Robert Sims, of Metairie, was leaning out of the vessel as a lookout when his head struck the piling. Agents arrived on scene with first responders within minutes of the incident, but Sims was already deceased.