PWC FATALITY 7/19/2010

[patrick and linda]

two women, each operating a personal water craft, collied, while having fun on the ohio river, cincinnati, at mile marker 470. what started out as a great day on the water turned to tragedy in a quick and sober moment.
a witness to the accident was operating a pontoon boat, was able to retrieve the injured lady from the water, and started cpr.
the injured lady died from blunt force trauma. age 29!
apparently, the one lady turned in front of her friend and her friend, unable to stop in time, broadsided her.
what can you say!
pat

[Don and Brenda]

It is a shame to see this happen. A little boaters safety class and common sense may have prevented this. We have all seen this type of activity with PWC's.

[Chester]

Our condolences to the family.
One of things I like about San Juan County is that they have banned PWC! Problem is, these same offenders on PWC are driving SUVs while texting. I had one pull over to the shoulder and then make a U turn, without signaling, right in front of my motorcycle last week. Close call, damn her.

[patrick and linda]

i suppose one might argue, when your number is up, it's up, regardless where you might be or what you might be doing. i've stated in many post that boating takes place in a hazardous environment. newbe's don't grasp that, for them it's all about the fun, speed, alcohol and girls. i don't know anything about the family of the deceased, only that they live in a neighboring township.
this seems to be an annual event, as with motorcycles! sorry chester, while i've owned two harleys in the past, i wouldn't today because there are just to many vehicles being driven by to many airheads not paying attention. can't do bench press with only one arm, can't do squats with only one leg, hard to run after your grandchild when you're in a wheel chair. i know, i know, we're all going to die of something. my two workout partners both have crotchrockets. they her this all the time.
pat

[Captains Cat]

Sorry to hear about it pat. A tragedy. Condolences to her family and friend who will never ever forgive herself! Life is short.

Charlie

[patrick and linda]

hi charles,
this is off from my original post but have i missed dr. bob's post or has he dropped under the radar lately?
trust all is going well in your neck of the woods. been really hot on the ohio river. 97 projected for this weekend.
pat

[El and Bill]

Sorry to hear of the death on the Ohio. Any motorized vehicle operated in an unsafe manner can result, in a moment, into tragedy - smaller units turn stop or start more quickly and can be more dangerous. Too bad for her friend and the families.

[Larry H]

PWC's steer by aiming the water jet thrust to one side or the other. If you let off on the throttle, there is no steering thrust available. It requires experience to know that you must keep on the throttle and steer out of trouble. Operators lacking experience or training usually just let off the throttle and run into something. Many PWC accidents involve rented or borrowed PWCs. Like motorcycles, these things are dangerous unless operated safely by experienced operators.

I have had PWCs jump my wake and then circle around in front of me to jump again. I just stop the boat to remove the wake. They usually leave then. Some states have now outlawed wake jumping.

[Chester]

[Papillon]

Chester Said:

[patrick and linda]

i see or hear of the aftermath of motorcycle accidents in two ways. first, being an insurance agency owner, we process the original claim and forward that to the claims department for settlement. second, my son works in a er and counsels motorcycle accident victims.
we currently have an insured who, did nothing wrong, was t-boned by a 21 yr old female, not paying attention. the 21 yr old was driving her own vehicle, had little insurance and no assets. our insured has been in the hospital for the past 7 weeks, has endured many operations, the doc's are doing all that is possible to save his leg, will have many more operations, will be in therapy for several years and obviously will not be gainfully employed during this process. he owns a home, has a mortgage, cars and car payments and no one to sue. he could sue the 21 yr old, but paying a lawyer 200 to 400 and hour to sue someone who has nothing doesn't sound like a good decision. life changed in one minute.
on another loss, our dear friend, bill, an experienced motorcyclelist, was riding with several friends, they were pulling off the road, he lost control dropped the bike and hit his head on a post, yes he was wearing a helmet, and was killed immediately. his surviving family lost their husband, father and income provider.
i could go on, but you get the point.
pat

[JamesTXSD]

It is about acceptable risk. There are many people who would not set foot on our small boats, much less consider spending months at a time aboard. I totally understand some peoples' opinion of motorcycles. In the 40+ years we've been riding, we've both gotten off hard a couple of times. I have no death wish, but I do consider the risk each time I climb on the bike.

After a day off full of chores yesterday, it was a nice treat to climb on the bike and enjoy the scenic roads here.

We do less long distance riding these days because of other preferred travel modes.

Part of the problem with PWCs also applies to motorcycles: inexperienced riders without a license mixing it up with larger displacement traffic. Add in alcohol to reduce the reflexes and you really have a problem in the making.

I could sit in a padded cell all day (and some have suggested that), but I prefer to be out and about... feeling the breeze... experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells that Mother Nature provides. The original premise of this thread was more about bad decisions made by the PWC riders. Choices... each day we live (or die) with the choices we make. How many here would give up their car or boat if they were involved in an accident with them?

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[El and Bill]

Yep - all about acceptable choices. Spot on, Jim. And that's up to each of us and we make those choices every day starting with getting out of bed.

Economists talk about risk vs. reward. And that's a good way we find for making choices - what's the risk and what is the reward in riding a motorcycle, driving a car, setting out for a cruise with a bad weather forecast, etc.

As a kid, I went to a Sunday mass with a friend - only church available in the rural area was at a New York state insane asylum (padded cells, Jim). Sat next to a young man, head drooping, slobbering himself, mumbling incoherently- he was accompanied by a nurse. Asked, she told me a motorcycle accident and no helmet. Since that childhood experience, I have stayed off motorcycles.

We all weigh the risk involved and the reward expected based on our own experiences.