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