Death on the River Last Night

[CheapboatKev]

WEAR A PFD!!!

This is about 20 minutes from my house..
Guy had been drinking almost all day (earlier report stated he was on the water since 9am)

Drunk..fell in..drowned...Seems like he was trying to do a good deed by towing some people in...

http://www.winknews.com/news/local/79638387.html



The LEO on the news said it best.

PFD..PFD..PFD People...This was avoidable

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Tragic but avoidable.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

I lost a good friend on July 4 08. On a pontoon/party boat. Everyone was drinking and he dove off into the water. He never came up.
I have lost 4 friends in my life to drowning. I often wonder why i go near the water.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

I have lost 4 friends in my life to drowning. I often wonder why i go near the water.

Maybe because you have respect for the water and the safety measures that go with it.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Why does everyone of these stories out of florida involve someone with missing teeth and a corvette bumper in their front yard?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Why does everyone of these stories out of florida involve someone with missing teeth and a corvette bumper in their front yard?

LOL! I had to play it again after reading your post. Yep, that sure looks like a red Vette bumper! You got sharp eyes.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Either of the key elements in this accident could have been responsible for the outcome. Combined, they darn near guaranteed it.

Over and over again, we read of boating accidents involving booze and/or lack of PFD use. I helped recover a body just a few weeks ago, that involved this very combination. Sadly, it happens over and over, but people just don't get the message.

I wish they could look in the eyes of the ones who are left behind, when the news of their loved one is delivered. Maybe that would be enough to get them to think.



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[45Auto]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

So everything would have been great if he was wearing PFD? How about not drinking while you're operating a vehicle?

Sorry, not much sympathy here.

No telling how many innocent people he could have killed if he had made it back to his car and tried to drive home.

If you're going to drink and operate a vehicle, I would prefer that whatever happens to you doesn't involve others. I feel sorry for the people he left behind, but he obviously doesn't care enough about them or anyone else to worry about the effects of his actions upon them. Better for the effects to be confined to his acquaintances than to the families of other innocent people that he would be endangering, like what happened in this situation:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/Family-of-...unk-driver-outraged-by-sentence-79577352.html

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

I absolutely agree that booze and boats don't mix. That said, the guy that we found last month would have lived, had he just worn the PFD that we found in the bottom of his boat. Although alcohol was involved, he didn't hit anything - he had gone ashore looking for something and fell in the water, while trying to get back in the boat.

The same is probably true of the guy in this story. The simple act of putting on a PFD most likely would have saved his life.

As for sympathy, I agree partially. Its not the victim that you have sympathy for when they have been that irresponsible. The ones that you feel bad for are the family members who have to deal with the situation. They usually know that their loved one was irresponsible, but they love him/her, just the same.



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[Tim Frank]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Four adults and three dogs?
Pretty good load for 12 footer and a 10 footer.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

Lesson is to me that the more you abuse alcohol the more it will cost you. This guy made his final payment...A pity . If I was not afraid of the water I would be too afraid to get near it.Im also afraid to drive my car 100 mph.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Death on the River Last Night

What I don't get, is the resistance towards wearing a PFD. Many people just seem to be determined not to use them, even though they don't really have a reason not to.

In places like south Louisiana, where I live, a PFD can be very hot in the summertime, if the boat is not moving. For that reason, I don't wear mine if I am at anchor in calm waters and I will sometimes not wear it if I am using a trolling motor in a place where the danger level is low. Other than that, I wear mine at all times and I require everyone in my boat to do the same. Those that don't like my rules are invited to go boating with someone else.

There are lots of stats on this issue floating around (pun intended!), but here are some from the USCG Reserve "Operation Boatsmart" program ...

Drowning is the single largest cause of death in recreational boating accidents. Of the people who die, 70% of them drown. Of that 70%, 80% aren't wearing a PFD. That is not to say that you can't drown with a PFD on, because you can (mouth immersions, canoe & kayaking accidents involving entrapment and/or hydraulics), but its kind of like the seatbelt issue - they save you most of the time.

To each, his/her own, but I'm wearin' mine!



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