A 13-year-old boy was the lone survivor of a Bodega Bay boating accident after his father saved him with one last heroic act.
Jude Khamnoungkhoune from San Jose, California, went crab fishing with his family friend, two cousins, uncle, and father, Prasong on November 2.
Jude and Prasong fished together often, as Prasong was a lifelong fisherman. But harsh waves caused the boat to flood and eventually plunge into the deep waters.
The passengers put on life jackets and jumped into the unrelenting water, but the force was dragging them down too.
The quick-thinking father was able to push Jude away from the wreck on a cooler from the boat – ultimately saving his life.
Prasong Khamnoungkhoune died in Bodega Bay after heroically saving his son
Jude Khamnoungkhoune, 13, was the lone survivor of a boating accident after his father pushed him away from the wreck on a cooler
Prasong was a lifelong fisherman whose ‘second home’ was the ocean
The selfless act drew comparisons to the film Titanic, in which the character Jack sacrificed his life for his companion Rose, dying in the ocean after making sure she was safely afloat atop a piece of debris.
As the water calmed, Jude found himself floating alone. He said the waves were at least 14-feet tall.
‘Something that went through my head was if I was gonna make it to see my family, or make it to see another day,’ the grieving son told KRON 4.
Jude washed up on the shore and was able to find help.
Search efforts to look for the bodies of the other people on the boat ended a day after the horrifying incident. Only one of the bodies was found, KRON 4 reported.
After the traumatizing accident, Jude said he is ‘staying strong’ and ‘focusing on what’s in front of me.’
He is now living with his mother, Yathida, and his aunt, Shanice. Prasong left behind three young children, including Jude, and his wife, according to a GoFundMe made to support the family.
In the film Titanic, the character Jack saved his companion Rose by allowing her to float on a piece of debris in the ocean
Jude washed up on Bodega Bay shores after the boat sank and was able to find help
Prasong left behind his wife, Yathida, and three children
GoFundMe organizer and Prasong’s nephew Kyle Souvanhnaboupha wrote: ‘He was a rock in our lives, raising us with love, laughter and guidance.
‘The ocean was his second home.’
Jude and his father started fishing together when the boy was just five years old. Now, all Jude has are fond memories of his beloved father.
‘My dad was a really funny guy, he had a really good personality,’ Jude told KRON 4.
Prasong’s family will honor his life at a November 16 vigil.
Prasong was described as ‘a really funny guy’ with a ‘really good personality’
Jude’s heartbreaking incident came just days before an 11-year-old was the only survivor of another Bodega Bay boating accident.
The boy was a cousin to the children who survived a November 2017 mass shooting. The shooter fired at three of Rancho Tehama resident Tiffany Phommathep’s children while she was driving them to school.
The tragedy at sea, which saw five people died and 14 injured and involved this same family, occurred almost exactly seven years to the day after the shooting.
Tiffany’s husband, Johnny Phommathep, along with sons Johnny Jr., 17, and Jake, 14 – both of whom were injured in the shooting seven years ago – set sail on Saturday for an afternoon crabbing trip on Bodega Bay, which is more than 60 miles north of San Francisco.
Jude said he is trying to ‘stay strong’ while grieving the loss of his father
The boat eventually capsized in the rough waters, sparking a search for survivors. The 11-year-old was the only one who managed to swim back to shore sometime Saturday night using a cooler to stay buoyant, ABC 7 reported.
‘He self-rescued. He was able to make it to shore and stayed the night on the shore. In the morning, he walked up and was found by passersby on Highway 1 and he survived. It’s really miraculous that he made it,’ said Misti Wood, a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Both tragedies occurred at the beginning for recreational Dungeness crab season.
