Rawl, 25, was one of three men injured when fire broke out on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico.VENICE (FOX 13) -
Three men were injured Sunday afternoon when a fire broke out on their boat during an excursion in the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident occurred just after 1 p.m. in the waters several miles west of the Venice Inlet.
According to a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office report the Coast Guard received a distress call and contacted local law enforcement.
Several marine units located the vessel which had already unloaded one of the injured men onto a Good Samaritan's boat. The unidentified boater transported the injured man to the Nokomis boat ramp where a Sarasota County Fire Rescue vehicle was waiting.
He was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with burns.
The captain of the boat managed to navigate the damaged vessel to a dock at the Crow's Nest in Venice. The captain was treated at the scene for minor injuries. The other occupant was transported to Venice Hospital.
Both of the hospitalized men have what are believed to be non- life-threatening injuries. An investigation is being conducted by officers with Florida Fish and Wildlife.
The names of the injured men are Derek Rawl, 25, Todd Weaver, 31, and Gary Burk, 44. It is not clear which one was the captain of the boat.
The investigation continues.
