A Loudoun County, Virginia, woman is dead after her boat struck a sandbar in North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Monday afternoon.
Twenty-nine-year-old Round Hill resident Brandi A. Lash died Monday when the 21-foot skiff she had rented ran aground on a sand shoal around 2 p.m. near the Ocracoke Ferry terminal.
According to a news release from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Lash was thrown from her boat and then run over by it. She later died of her injuries.
“The vessel being operated was a 21-foot Carolina skiff,” the commission said. “Contributing factors to the incident include inexperience and hazardous waters.”
North Carolina officials said Lash had been traveling southwest across Hatteras Inlet in a rented vessel from Hatteras Parasail. Units were dispatched to her rescue after a 911 call.
The incident remains under investigation as of Tuesday. The National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard and Hyde County Sheriff’s Office also responded for assistance.
Authorities believe inexperience and hazardous waters were contributing factors.
Editor’s Note: A subsequent update from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission corrected the victim’s last name to “Lash.” It was initially given as “Cash.”
