Boat slips off trailer in Port Royal traffic

A deck boat fell of its trailer, causing traffic delays, on a Port Royal street Saturday, fire officials said.

The accident occurred just before 2 p.m. on Ribaut Road in front of Beaufort Boat and Dock supply, after the boat’s owner reportedly swerved to avoid hitting another car and the boat came off its trailer, according to Reece Bertholf, chief of the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department. No one was injured, and the boat did not strike any other vehicle, he said..

The wreck blocked traffic headed toward the Bell Bridge for about 30 minutes while firefighters helped load the boat back onto its trailer.

Bertholf reminded drivers transporting boats to make sure the safety chain is working and secured to the front of the boat, as well as to use transom tie downs.

“Always use manufacturers recommendations for securing your boat to the trailer and to your vehicle,” he said.

That accident was one of 22 calls the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department responded to between Friday and Sunday mornings, about twice as many as the department usually sees for the same time period, Bertholf added.

This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Boat slips off trailer in Port Royal traffic."