By Deb Williams
DENVER, N.C. (June 10, 2008) – Former NASCAR crew chief Cliff Champion and three other people escaped serious injury Tuesday when the 80-foot charter boat Champion operates on Lake Norman exploded, but a 19-year-old man who was refueling the boat when the blast occurred was still missing at nightfall.
Authorities planned to resume searching for the young man Wednesday morning. Friends and police have identified the missing teen as Nate Koppick, who worked at Westport Marina. He had the day off on Tuesday and decided to work for Champion.
“He was just a nice guy,” Champion told WSOC-TV, Charlotte's ABC affiliate, about Koppick. “He did stuff because it needed to be done, not because he got paid for it.”
Champion's company -- Championship Yacht Charters -- had just finished a graduation party cruise with about 60 people when the blast occurred. The partiers had exited the three-story boat and were getting into their cars when the 19-year-old man began refueling the yacht at Westport Marina. When the explosion occurred around 4 p.m., Champion and the other three survivors were knocked into the water even though they were at the opposite end of the 80-foot boat. Champion attempted to find Koppick, but was unsuccessful.
Rescuers began searching the immediate area for the young man, but had to wait for at least three hours after the blast before entering the water since up to 150 gallons of fuel spilled into the lake. By nightfall, the remains of the burned yacht had sunk beside the dock. Cleanup crews will start removing the fuel from the water on Wednesday. The Environmental Protection Agency also is expected to become involved.
Why the explosion occurred has yet to be determined, but Champion told Charlotte's CBS-affiliate, WBTV, there were numerous things that could have caused it.
“On a hot day like this, you can have static electricity in the boat,” Champion said. “A little fuel might have overflowed and hit a hot manifold down below in the bilge. It could have been fumes that had gone down in the bilge. It could have been a number of things.”
Champion said he had insurance and he hoped it would cover getting another boat, but he emphasized that wasn't the important issue. Koppick and his family were his No. 1 priority.
“People you can't replace, boats and things you can replace,” said the broken-hearted Champion, who described Koppick as a “super guy who loved the water and had a tremendous work ethic.”
Champion was Benny Parsons' crew chief 1983-86 and it was during this time that the team he headed won the Ingersoll-Rand Pit Crew Championship. He also worked with Alan Kulwicki and long-time friend Ricky Rudd before deciding to start his charter business on Lake Norman about a decade ago. In his business, he worked closely with the racing community, providing charters for competitors, sponsors, race teams and Lowe's Motor Speedway. On May 17, he hosted an Appreciation Day for the Armed Forces, providing a day of cruises for troops from Fort Bragg and Fort Jackson and Marines from Camp Lejeune.
###
06-11-2008, 01:26 AM
Linear Mode
