Another lack of PFD tragedy.

[DaNinja]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear a PFD, when dealing with water deeper than you, is my advise. I remember one time while swimming in chest deep water and suffer a leg cramp. It is no fun at all while you cannot move and cannot do anything but let the pain go away. But it is tha law that you must wear PFD in a boat, canoe, kayak, etc...

And cut and pasted from the Texas Law....
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/boat/safety/vessel_requirements/

Lifesaving Devices
?All Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) must be U.S. Coast Guard approved, in serviceable condition, readily accessible, and of the appropriate size for intended user. See Life Jackets for more details on PFD types.
?All children under 13 years of age in motorboats under 26 feet in length must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD while underway. Underway means not at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground.
?All vessels, including canoes and kayaks, must be equipped with one Type I, II, III or V wearable PFD for each person on board. A Type V PFD is acceptable only if used in accordance with the specific instructions on the label of the device.
?Vessels 16 feet and longer, excluding canoes and kayaks, are required to be equipped with one Type IV throwable PFD in addition to the Type I, II, III, or V PFD required for each person on board.
?Inflatable PFDs are authorized only when used in accordance with requirements as presented on U.S. Coast Guard approval labels. Inflatable PFDs are not approved for use on personal watercraft, waterskiing, or other high speed activity.

 

[FunInDuhSun]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

Maybe some day you'll grow up, and maybe soften up.

I assure you, I'm full grown........
And I'll NEVER soften up.
People that lack common sense won't change.

 

[justchange]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

I second that, at 9 if a child can swim I don't think they can see or understand the danger. I also bet this child never thought she would be pushed out in open water. (LIGHTEN-UP)

While this is tragic, it DOESN'T negate the parents liability. That or any child should NOT be allowed to canoe or kayak in that large of or any waterway without an adult present. If the child cann't swim, wtf was she doing in a kayak? ESPECIALLY without a pdf!

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

No, it isn't!
People must take responsibility for themselves.
EVEN A CHILD. At 9, she was old enought to think.
If this kids parents knew she was going out on the water that day, they should be held criminally liable for her death.
Remember this: it's NOT the governments responsibility to keep us safe. They only enact laws in an attempt to make stupid people do sensible things. As you can see in this case, it often doesn't work.

I think your statement was a little harsh, however agree completely with you. The child, however, is only doing what a parent has taught or told them to do. I made my daughter take a coast guard approved class before she even got on the boat. She did this at 8 years old. She passed with nearly a perfect score. She knows the rules, but I still think it is my responsibility to make sure she follows these rules. She is 11 now and is not required to wear a life vest on my boat in Florida. We have them available and if she was on a kayak or a small craft like that she would be wearing one. It is just plain stupid for an adult to let their child not wear a jacket on a small craft like this especially in an area where the potential for hazzard is so great.

Thinning the herd is a bit harsh. This child died due to parent stupidity. Ultimately the parents are the ones you want out of the herd. I say we subject the parents to the same type of death they allowed their child to suffer. This might actually wake people up to some common sense. It wont happen due the politically atmosphere we have nowadays, but they should be punished to the full extent of the law. It is ultimately a parent issue.

I was so pissed then they made me put a fence around my pool when I built it. Cost me thousands. Stupid people that do not watch their children caused this. The government should not force me to build a fence, they should prosecute the morons that let their children drown due to lack of supervision. Plain and simple, you start holding parents liable for their stupidity and it will end, or careless parents will end up in jail for their lack of supervision.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

I assure you, I'm full grown........
And I'll NEVER soften up.
People that lack common sense won't change.

I think he meant INTELLECTUAL growth not just physical.
There was certainly no common sense in your original comment.

 

[FunInDuhSun]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

I think he meant INTELLECTUAL growth not just physical.

Oh, REALLY????
Duh.

There was certainly no common sense in your original comment.

OK, let's see.
My original post:
"Even with PFD laws, people will still do stupid things like this."
Plenty of common sense here. As boaters, we often see people putting themselves at risk without even realizing it. Examples- a fisherman in a bass boat running 70 MPH while not wearing a PFD, or someone rowing a boat (dinghy, canoe, kayak) without having a PFD on their body and strapped. SHEER STUPIDITY.


"I see this kind of behavior all the time from both children and adults."
Well, I DO see this behavior. Maybe you believe I'm not seeing them correctly.


"I'm very sad for the kid, but I consider it a 'thinning of the herd'."
I'm absolutely sad that she's gone, but it doesn't relieve her- OR HER PARENTS- from their responsibility to think rationally. Common sense? Yeah maybe, just a little.


I find it absolutely amazing that people on a boating forum don't find this event a dispicable display of intellegence. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

Oh, REALLY????
Duh.



OK, let's see.
My original post:
"Even with PFD laws, people will still do stupid things like this."
Plenty of common sense here. All I see is a painfully obvious statement/observation. As boaters, we often see people putting themselves at risk without even realizing it. Examples- a fisherman in a bass boat running 70 MPH while not wearing a PFD, or someone rowing a boat (dinghy, canoe, kayak) without having a PFD on their body and strapped. SHEER STUPIDITY.



"I see this kind of behavior all the time from both children and adults." Are you saying that people often lack common sense? WOW, there's news....Truly insightful....
Well, I DO see this behavior. Maybe you believe I'm not seeing them correctly.

"I'm very sad for the kid, but I consider it a 'thinning of the herd'."
I'm absolutely sad that she's gone, but it doesn't relieve her- OR HER PARENTS- from their responsibility to think rationally. Common sense? Yeah maybe, just a little.

OK, I'll explain in a bit more detail....and try to use shorter words.
To have posted the phrase "thinning of the herd" in a thread about a 9 year old girl's tragic death, and in a family forum shows a serious shortage of common sense.
Best description so far is "repulsive", although you mention "dispicable" (sic)....and that's good , too.
I don't think it is "modworthy", although I've seen less offensive comments get removed. But looking at the reaction from others, you are not getting much support that I've seen.

I find it absolutely amazing that people on a boating forum don't find this event a dispicable display of intellegence. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

And don't take this the wrong way, but if I was going to chastise the members for not recognising the event as "a dispicable display of intellegence", I would make a special effort to spell intelligence correctly...

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ..... how to make friends and influence people?

I think not.



???

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

Tim Frank summed that up nicely.

 

[bigredinohio]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

I'm not deflecting blame on those responsible for this accident as there's plenty to go around. It's always tragic, especially when a child is involved and when an accident could have been prevented.

However, the comment "thinning of the herd" suggests that the 9 year old deserved to die. To say such non-sense about this kid and any other minor who has passed in an accident, even one that could have been avoided, says a lot about you. You're the type that would give a drowning kid a glass of water to help.

With comments like that, I can only assume you don't have children but if you did, may God bless them for Karma is always lurking.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

Wow, sorry I posted this guys. Just wanted to share the story as a reminder to have your kids wear a lifejacket, and that Lake Michigan can get pretty wild at times. I did not forsee that it would get into a wet toe contest.:redface:

As an update, the search has been suspended , but the family and friends continue to search the shorelines in hopes of finding her. I hope they find solace soon, but I am afraid they will not for quite some time.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Another lack of PFD tragedy.

I think that part of the problem, will be that the bottom temperatures in Lake Michigan, even at this time of year, are probably pretty chilly. That will slow down decomposition of the body and it will take quite awhile for it to surface. In the mean time, it will be moved by any currents that exist in the area, so when it does rise, it could be some distance away.

I had this very thing happen on a search for two teenagers a couple of years ago. The incident command had us looking in what I thought was entirely the wrong place, so I laid out some current info for them. We found both bodies pretty much where I thought we would, and one had actually moved several miles from where the kids drowned.



???