Walkway Collapse During Maine Open Lighthouse Day Leaves 11 Injured

A tragic incident unfolded during the annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day event, resulting in eleven individuals sustaining injuries after a section of the walkway leading to the Doubling Point Lighthouse in Arrowsic, Maine, collapsed.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon as visitors gathered to celebrate Maine’s historic lighthouses, which are opened to the public for a single day each year. This event typically draws thousands of visitors to explore more than a dozen of the state’s iconic beacons.

Deputy Chief Chris Cummings of the Bath Fire Department reported that the wooden walkway collapse took place during low tide, causing eleven people to fall approximately six to ten feet into a muddy marsh. Emergency responders swiftly acted, with five individuals being transported to local hospitals for medical treatment, while six others received evaluations at the scene.

Cummings reassured the public, stating, “There were no life-threatening injuries from this incident.”

Multiple public safety departments responded to the scene, working diligently to assist those affected and safely move them off the marsh onto solid ground.

Karen McLean, a member of the Friends of Doubling Point Light, a non-profit group, disclosed plans for repairing the lighthouse in the wake of the incident. However, no specific timeframe has been established for the restoration efforts. The group has issued a notice on its website, announcing the temporary closure of the Doubling Point Lighthouse to visitors “until further notice.”

The Doubling Point Light is situated along the Kennebec River in Arrowsic, a quaint Midcoast Maine town with a population of approximately 450 residents. This lighthouse, established in 1899, remains an active aid for navigation under the U.S. Coast Guard’s jurisdiction. It is among the numerous Maine lighthouses accessible to the public annually during the Maine Open Lighthouse Day.

The American Lighthouse Foundation, in collaboration with the Coast Guard and the Maine Office of Tourism, sponsors this highly popular event, which typically draws between 15,000 to 18,000 visitors each year. The incident serves as a reminder of the significance of ensuring safety measures are in place during such events, as these historic sites continue to captivate the imagination of visitors from near and far.