Another tragic boating incident

Said the operator had a rental contract. So what was his experience level? I don't know the rules or laws pertaining to renting boats but don't think you should be allowed without X number of years of experience but how do you monitor that?
 
Said the operator had a rental contract. So what was his experience level? I don't know the rules or laws pertaining to renting boats but don't think you should be allowed without X number of years of experience but how do you monitor that?

Agree. At a minimum, have them pass a boaters safety course before they can rent a powerboat.
 
A few weeks ago, two girls ran a jet ski they had rented aground. They didn't get seriously hurt, but it did total the jet ski.
Our state has mandatory boaters ed, but it doesn't apply to rentals. They just have to give the person a "safety briefing."
 
Just so tragic and so careless. This also makes me really mad. That poor family. Around here you can rent a boat with ZERO experience or qualifications. It’s just asinine.
 
I don’t pretend to know what happened but we used to Boat on a fairly small lake with about 10 miles of shore line. The lake required generally counter clockwise travel to assist with keeping good boating flow.

Whenever I had a skier, tuber or other fall it in the water I immediately made a 180 degree turn and steered directly towards by down skier, tuber or whomever. While boats would then becoming directly towards me I made a much more visible object in their way, path but more importantly site. Boats heading into setting or rising sun along with glare from the water have decreased visibility. Ive seen to many operators paying more attention to their tuber or skier behind them than to what’s going on in front of them. Not trying to make any judgement call here as this might help someone else improve the safety process for a downed individual or individuals in the water.

I can not begin to say how sorry I am for anyone to experience the death of their child or anyone else for that matter. God help them deal with this very tragic family tragedy.
 
This just reinforces that recreational boating is as dangerous as it is fun. We need to figure out a way to make people think about the danger level before the fun level.
Just a sad sad day for that family but hopefully enough novice renters will see the story and take a few minutes to consider the ultimate cost some pay in the name of a day’s fun on the water
Be safe and sane out there
Carpe Diem
 
In PA we are required to complete a USCG boaters course if you were born after some date in 1981 I think. I was born in 1969 but took the course anyway. I don't understand that logic. It's as if somebody my age would know the safety rules and regulations better than somebody my son's age? Maybe more mature and responsible but I still won't know the rules any better.
 
I boat on a large lake with many coves and out of the way places. Nonetheless, every weekend there are boats pulling tubers through tight congested channels. Routinely the tubers end up in chopped up water where it is difficult to see a floating person and other boats are flying by. There are limited facts in the above story but I have seen many situations where the fault for such a tragic accident could be on the operator pulling the tube.
 
I boat on a large lake with many coves and out of the way places. Nonetheless, every weekend there are boats pulling tubers through tight congested channels. Routinely the tubers end up in chopped up water where it is difficult to see a floating person and other boats are flying by. There are limited facts in the above story but I have seen many situations where the fault for such a tragic accident could be on the operator pulling the tube.
Could be wrong but the way I read it the boat was docked or anchored and the tube was tied to the boat?
 
Could be wrong but the way I read it the boat was docked or anchored and the tube was tied to the boat?
If that us the case I would like to see the investigators look at the operators phone or I pad to see if it was in use at the time of the accident. Distracted operators are a huge risk and there needs to be prosecutions for manslaughter or criminal negligence in cases where it can be proven distracted operator is the cause of the accident
 
If that us the case I would like to see the investigators look at the operators phone or I pad to see if it was in use at the time of the accident. Distracted operators are a huge risk and there needs to be prosecutions for manslaughter or criminal negligence in cases where it can be proven distracted operator is the cause of the accident
Agreed. About 2 years ago we were anchored about 50' off shore Ohio River ~1000' wide?). We were in our 250DA when 2 larger (~30') boats came up behind us. The first one had me pretty nervous. He was about 100' behind us on plane and swerved. He passed us about 30' beside us on plane. The boat behind him had more time to react and was a little further away but still too close.
 
If that us the case I would like to see the investigators look at the operators phone or I pad to see if it was in use at the time of the accident. Distracted operators are a huge risk and there needs to be prosecutions for manslaughter or criminal negligence in cases where it can be proven distracted operator is the cause of the accident

My iPad is in use almost the entire time the vessel is operating, so whether or not it is in use is irrelevant. The driver failed to see and hit an innocent little girl.

Sad tragedy.

MM
 
Said the operator had a rental contract. So what was his experience level? I don't know the rules or laws pertaining to renting boats but don't think you should be allowed without X number of years of experience but how do you monitor that?
Here is IL there is the Fox River/Chain of Lakes waterway system. About 80,000 boat stickers are sold each year. It is one of the most heavily used waterways in the country.

Several years ago a family rented a pontoon boat and proceeded to tow a boy on a tube... through narrow channels with 2 way traffic. They came out of a channel into a relatively narrow, small lake where most boaters hit the throttle and get up on plane to get through to the next channel. It is not a tube/ski friendly lake and it get very choppy. The pontoon came out of the channel into the lake, his son fell off the tube and was promptly run over and killed.

It was everybody elses fault but the father who rented the boat...

(Not saying the guy who ran the kid over is blameless)
 
Here is IL there is the Fox River/Chain of Lakes waterway system. About 80,000 boat stickers are sold each year. It is one of the most heavily used waterways in the country.

Several years ago a family rented a pontoon boat and proceeded to tow a boy on a tube... through narrow channels with 2 way traffic. They came out of a channel into a relatively narrow, small lake where most boaters hit the throttle and get up on plane to get through to the next channel. It is not a tube/ski friendly lake and it get very choppy. The pontoon came out of the channel into the lake, his son fell off the tube and was promptly run over and killed.

It was everybody elses fault but the father who rented the boat...

(Not saying the guy who ran the kid over is blameless)

And they have since passed a law requiring an orange flag be used for skiers and tubers.

When I first started boating, I called my insurance guy to get a policy for my 18 foot cuddy cabin. He asked where I would be boating and I told him fox river and the chain. His comment: "oh no. You're going to die."

It's like boating on the interstate.
 
The senator that pushed that was a relative...
 

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