Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 2, 1993 TAG: 9306020202
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY DANIEL MARKHAM
DATELINE: SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE LENGTH: Short
"We've had more than a dozen accidents on the lake this month, and half of those were over the weekend," Game Warden Ron Henry said.
"From 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday we had four accidents. That's busy by anybody's standards."
To help handle the increased workload, game wardens were assisted by Franklin County and Bedford County deputies patroling the lake. Five boats patrolled the lake at the peak of the holiday activity.
The most serious of the weekend accidents occurred about 8 p.m. Saturday at Arrowhead Campground in Pittsylvania County. Joseph Lackey, 37, of Burkeville, was pulling his 17-year-old son behind his boat on an innertube when the tube ran into a pontoon boat tied to a dock.
The other six reported accidents involved jet skis colliding with other boats or each other. No injuries were reported.
In one incident Saturday afternoon, a game warden responded to a call to Bernard's Landing where a jet ski had collided with a boat. The operator of the jet ski was 13.
The father of the juvenile was charged with allowing a minor to operate a jet ski. The minimum age for jet-ski operation is 14. Breaking the law carries a fine of up to $250.
In an incident Sunday afternoon, a jet ski piloted by 19-year-old woman ran into a powerboat, doing an estimated $500 in damage to the boat and more than $1,000 damage to the jet ski.
by CNB