The U.S. Coast Guard potentially saved the lives of three people late Saturday morning when it rescued them from a sailboat before it flipped into Lake Erie.
According to officials, the 28-foot vessel (ironically called "Wayward Wind") became disabled and washed ashore along the break wall in Cleveland near Edgewater Beach, and one of the boat's occupants called the Coast Guard "panicked" just before noon.
Once crews arrived on scene, they were able to rescue two people from the boat, plus a third who had jumped into the water before the boat flipped over about 15 minutes later. All three occupants were wearing life jackets.
Authorities say the three could have been killed had they stayed in the boat when it overturned, or at least suffered "very significant injuries." They were evaluated by emergency services for "mild hypothermia" and released.
The incident is still under investigation. It is still unknown what caused the boat to stop working.
This is the second boat crash involving Edgewater this week: Mike Mahar, a longtime member of the Edgewater Yacht Club, died Saturday from injuries suffered during a Wednesday race.