Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 8, 1993 TAG: 9308080029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"This is a classic case in which almost all the basic boating safety rules were broken," said Richard Schwartz, president of the Boat Owners Association of The United Sates, the nation's largest group of recreational boaters.
There was overloading. Non-swimmers without life jackets. "A sure-fire prescription for disaster," said Schwartz.
And it happened. The boat capsized. Seven family members died. Five ranged in age from 18 months to 10 years.
The accident rocked the boating world, but you don't have to go to Arkansas to record boating tragedies. We've had our share in Virginia, even on Smith Mountain Lake.
Col. Bill Antozzi, the boating safety director for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, was looking at Virginia's sad statistics the other day. He noticed three things, in particular. The fatalities, for the most part, have involved small boats. The victims weren't wearing personal flotation devices. And those who died often were young, only one over 29.
On May 8th, the 29-year old operator of an 18-foot bass boat made a high speed turn in Betty's Creek on Smith Mountain Lake. He and his passenger were flung overboard. Neither wore a PFD. The boat continued to run in circles at full throttle, hitting and killing the operator.
Four young men aboard a 12-foot catamaran on the Chesapeake Bay were dumped into the water May 10 when one of the boat's pontoons sank because of a hole. There were no PFDs on board. The operator, age 21, was never found.
Six people overloaded a 12-foot rowboat on Lake Montclair in Prince William County on May 18. When they were thrown from the craft, five made it to shore, but the operator, age 18, went under and did not surface. There were six PFDs on board, but none was used.
On June 4th, three inexperienced boaters climbed into a canoe on the Chickahominy Reservoir. Two began paddling on the same side, causing the craft to tip over. All three started to swim, but only one made it. One who died was age 23.
Three youngsters were aboard a 10-foot johnboat on an Amelia County pond. One stood up when he hooked a fish, tilting the boat and causing its passengers to fall into the water. Two held onto the boat; the third, age 15, sank and perished.
All this before July 4th, which is considered the start of the busy boating season.
There have been additional fatalities, including the recent death of a 9-year-old girl who fell from the bow of a pontoon boat on Smith Mountain Lake. Adults aboard the craft said she was wearing a life jacket, but it apparently slipped off when she fell.
Even though boating fatalities nationwide are at an all-time low, the toll of young people this year has caused some organizations to ponder the need for additional regulations.
The Boat Owners Association of The Unites Sates recently told Congress that requiring boaters to take a safety course could further reduce the number of fatalities.
After the Arkansas boating accident, the National Transportation Safety Board urged a mandatory life jacket requirement for children. Arkansas and 30 other states, including Virginia, lack such a regulation.
Eighty percent of boating fatalities are from drowning, most occurring when someone is tossed overboard without a life jacket. Fifty percent involve alcohol.
In most cases, common sense would prevent tragedy.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB