Man dies after boat overturns near Washaway Beach

A boat passenger died Monday morning after the vessel overturned in the vicinity of Washaway Beach, according to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office. The deceased passenger was identified as Stanley Lapinoja, 51, of Raymond.

At approximately 9:12 a.m., a 911 call came in regarding an overturned vessel off of State Route 105 near Washaway Beach. The vessel was described as an 18-foot Bayliner and that the two occupants had been thrown into the water but had managed to hold onto it. The caller was in another vessel but was unable to get close enough to render aid, according to the Sheriff’s Office press release.

After U.S. Coast Guard, law enforcement and emergency personnel responded, the vessel’s operator, Eric Howell, 46, made it to shore using a cooler to keep afloat. Howell said that a large wave overturned the vessel, and that he lost sight of Lapinoja.

A little after 10 a.m., Lapinoja was found deceased on a rock jetty by a Sheriff’s Office deputy, approximately three-quarters of a mile from where the boat capsized. Neither occupant of the vessel was wearing a life jacket during the incident.

Sea conditions at the time of the incident displayed significant swells and visibility was poor. Responding agencies included the Sheriff’s Office, Shoalwater Bay Tribal Police, Washington State Parks, Coast Guard ground crew and responders from the South Beach Regional Fire Authority.