Alum Creek (OH) - Death on Water Today

[David D]

We were just heading out to Alum Creek for an evening of family boating. But apparently a skier was hit by a PWC and is presumed dead. A search and rescue team is searching for the person. Sad. Pray for the family (and any who may have witnessed this).

My son says the news is reporting she fell while skiing and was subsequently hit by a jet ski. Before he told me that, I said, "The next thing they'll report is that it involved a jet ski or waverunner".

 

[Andy S]

Very sad news! This is exactly why I always stay way away from tubers and skiers because you never know when they will fall.

 

[mark_m]

Thoughts and prayers. Be careful/safe out there

 

[David D]

Here's the current news video. I see a couple Yahmaha's in the video -- reports are boats were racing? Some reports are conflicting -- some say she was hit by a boat; others by a PWC. In any case, it's sad -- and like @mark_m says, be safe out there.

 

[john94si]

Backwards.. it reads..she fell of jetski and was hit by a boat
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/08/02/skier-drowned.html

 

[Kevin M]

No life jacket?

 

[mark_m]

Making me take pause; Alum is home water. I can't begin to fathom.... Out on the water enjoying the beautiful day and in an instant everything totally changes. Hug your loved ones and please be careful out there.

 

[Julian]

No life jacket?

Article says searching for the body....so no life jacket.

 

[Kevin M]

Yikes! Was up on Lake Erie today near Cedar Point, saw a boat on the rocks with the transom under water. Hope everyone was okay.

 

[David D]

There are a number of conflicting news accounts so far. Some say she was on a Jet Ski; others say she was water skiing. We'll have to wait until things settle down to get the whole story. The most recent one I saw said there were 5 boats racing and one of them hit her after she fell water skiing. An earlier report said they hadn't found the driver of the boat; the most recent says he stopped and is cooperating.

 

[David D]

No life jacket?

Article says searching for the body....so no life jacket.

The news says she was wearing a life jacket but it was ripped off by the impact of the boat hitting her. Recovery efforts began again this morning after being suspended for the night.

Pray for her family and the boater who hit her. Here's the latest from our NBC affiliate: http://nbc4i.com/2015/08/03/crews-continue-search-for-19-year-old-in-alum-creek-reservoir/

 

[Julian]

The news says she was wearing a life jacket but it was ripped off by the impact of the boat hitting her. Recovery efforts began again this morning after being suspended for the night.

Pray for her family and the boater who hit her. Here's the latest from our NBC affiliate: http://nbc4i.com/2015/08/03/crews-continue-search-for-19-year-old-in-alum-creek-reservoir/

Not good....not sure how you hit someone in the water who's wearing a PFD....can't have been paying attention...unless the water was so rough or weather inhibited visibility...but in a lake-not sure? This is one reason I WILL do a hard power turn and waves be damned to get back to a downed person to use by boat to protect them! Protecting the skier is WAY more important than not making waves!

 

[subysti]

@Julian I'm with you. I always power turn when I lose a skier or tuber to make sure I'm between them and any other vessels so they have to hit me or be headed right at me to hit someone in the water. I'll stop too if I see boats or pwcs too close.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

After hearing about this I just went out to follow up on a drowning last August at our home lake... never said what happened. The article had this statistic. I never would have imagined it this high.

"Last year, 560 people nationwide died in recreational-boating accidents, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Of those deaths, 397 were drownings; of those who drowned, 84 percent were not wearing a life jacket".

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/31/0831-indian-lake-drowning.html

 

[rkluck]

Most people are not wearing a life vest while boating. When being pulled and doing water sports most people do wear a life vest. When something happens many times it is fast and people don't have time or even think about getting a life vest. I know there have been boat colliding with other boats (usually at night) and most of the time there are no life vests. The question I have, is do most of you ask everyone on the boat to wear a life vests while boating? I know you have to have one for everyone but if you aren't wearing them do you have them outside of the storage compartments? I am not judging just asking what most of us do. I know I don't ask everyone to wear a life vest while riding and I only have a few vest actually out of storage and that is due to water sports. These will be snapped up on the tower so they are really not helpful.

 

[David D]

The question I have, is do most of you ask everyone on the boat to wear a life vests while boating?

Our boat is small, so I'd prefer the life jackets be stowed. But we make sure they're out of the compartments -- and that anyone tubing, knee-boarding, etc., is wearing theirs.

 

[David D]

@Julian I'm with you. I always power turn when I lose a skier or tuber to make sure I'm between them and any other vessels so they have to hit me or be headed right at me to hit someone in the water. I'll stop too if I see boats or pwcs too close.

I generally do this too. But a word of caution: years ago, with another boat, I did the power turn to return to my brother who had fallen. But when he fell, he got caught up in the line and I was dragging him under water. He seriously thought he was going to die. His life jacket got sucked off of him from the trust of the water ... and I didn't notice until I saw a ski pop out of the water moments later. Since then, I drop power, quickly locate the person I'm towing, and once identified, power turn back to them.

 

[mark_m]

http://nbc4i.com/2015/08/03/womans-body-recovered-from-alum-creek-reservoir/

ODNR has located the skier's body.