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Personal Injury Statistics: Boating and Personal Watercraft

Boating and personal watercraft (Jetof all boating fatalities -- up eight
Skis and Sea Doos) accidents often occur(8) percent from 1999. A Coast Guard
due to negligence. They can result instudy estimates that boat operators with
serious and sometimes deadly injuries.a blood alcohol concentration above .10
There are many different types of waterpercent are estimated to be more than 10
sport accidents, including accidentstimes as likely to be killed in a
that occur during recreational activity,boating accident than boat operators
on a cruise ship, navy vessel, or viawith zero blood alcohol concentration.
maritime work. Regardless of the type of*Approximately eighty (80) percent of
boating accident involved, a boatingall boating fatalities occurred on boats
accident lawyer specializing in personalwhere the operator had not completed a
injuries from boating and watersportboating safety education course.
accidents can help recover any damages*Nearly 70 percent of all reported
lost as a result of the accident.accidents involve operator controllable
Boating Accidents at a Glancefactors. The primary causes of accidents
*The Coast Guard received reports for aare operator inattention, careless
total of 6,419 recreational boatingreckless operation, operator
accidents in 2001. The casualty data forinexperience, operating at an unsafe
2001 showed 681 fatalities and 4,274speed, and no proper lookout.
injuries.*"Capsizings" and "Falls Overboard"
*Four hundred and ninety-eight (498)accounted for 386 fatalities, nearly
boaters drowned in 2001. Life jacketssixty (60) percent of all reported
could have saved the lives ofboating fatalities. Nine out of every 10
approximately 420 boaters who drowned.of those victims drowned . "Collision
In 2001, approximately eight out ofwith Another Vessel" was the most
every 10 victims in fatal boatingreported type of accident . These
accidents were not wearing life jackets.accidents resulted in 1,366 injuries and
Boaters continue to be at a greater riskaccounted for nearly nine (9) million
of dying when involved in an accidentdollars in property damage.
during the fall and winter months than*Twenty-six (26) children age 12 and
in the summer. Besides the colderunder lost their lives while boating in
weather and water, there are fewer2001. One hundred and thirty-seven (137)
boaters and patrol officers in the areaboaters died in the 40-49 age group
to rescue boaters in distress. Whencategory -- the highest number reported
waters are below 60 degrees Fahrenheit,for any age group.
hypothermia can set in quickly. Those*Three hundred and fifty-two (352)
who hunt and fish from boats, especiallyfatalities occurred with the use of open
in colder weather, need to dress formotorboats, just over half of all
possible immersion and wear their lifeboating fatalities. One hundred and one
jackets. Boaters in larger bodies of(101) people lost their lives while
water should also take advantage ofusing canoes/kayaks in 2001.
using available distress alerting andApproximately ninety-three (93) percent
position indicating technologies toof canoe/kayak deaths were caused by
improve their chances of survival if adrowning. Fifty (50) fatalities occurred
mishap occurs.with the use of Personal Watercraft
*Eighty-five (85) percent of fatalities(PWC), the lowest number of PWC
occurred on boats less than 26 feet infatalities reported since 1993.
length. Seventy-two (72) percent ofApproximately eighty (80) percent of all
those victims drowned. Specifically, 322reported injuries were associated with
fatalities occurred on boats less thanthe use of open motorboats (46%) and PWC
16 feet in length and 254 occurred on(34%). Lacerations were the most
boats 16 to less than 26 feet in length.reported type of injury for open
*Alcohol involvement in fatal accidentsmotorboats. For PWC, broken bones were
accounted for thirty-four (34) percentthe most often reported type of injury.



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