Seattle Boating Accident

[biglar155]

http://seattletimes.com/html/latestnews/2024107212_boatcrashvictimxml.html

Let's be careful out there...

 

[itsdgm]

That's pretty sad.

 

[Bruce]

Three people have died on Lake Hamilton this year. All three deaths involved large amounts of alcohol, no life jacket and were at night.

The first crashed his 12' boat into a 38' fountain within a few hundred yards of leaving the dock at a club. It was at minimum the second boat he hit, some say it was the fifth. Fortunately he only killed himself.

The second drowned while tubing at night without a life jacket.

The third swam out from a dock to get something and never came back.

 

[Bruce]

But your story is much more terrible since the idiot killed an innocent teacher.

 

[Noko]

Too many idiots drinking and driving boats. And at night?

 

[SCSTWG]

I don't even consider having the boat on water after dark. These stories are all too common.

 

[biglar155]

I don't even consider having the boat on water after dark. These stories are all too common.

Yeah, I'd LOVE to stay out and watch the sunset from the lake but this kind of stuff has me nervous.

 

[davel501]

Night boating is awesome but make sure you have a plotter that has night mode and just don't drink when it is your turn to drive. Things like this happen everywhere and all the time, not just on boats at night. Addicts have to hit rock bottom and sometimes they drag others into it.

 

[Suchawittygal]

That is very tragic and sad. Boating at night scares me. Perhaps I'm still too much of a rookie at boating, but I don't anticipate boating at night anytime soon. Unfortunately, something like this can happen at any time of the day if alcohol is involved.

 

[Julian]

Boating at night is awesome....but you have to be careful and aware....just like driving a car at night. Don't know the stats, but bet it is more dangerous to drive a car....

The interesting question in this story will be....was the powerboat captain impaired, and was the sailboat running with no lights?

 

[txav8r]

I can't seem to find the statistics I have read, but there are far more boating accidents in the daytime than at night. However, you need to know your area, or have multiple means of fixing your position in relation to underwater hazards as well as the shoreline. You need to also be able to navigate by dead reckoning to back up any other means you are using. And operate at speeds that you remain in full control and can see the immediate water in front of you to avoid danger. For some, that will be idle, for others, low cruise speeds will be acceptable. One thing is a must, you have to kill your interior lights almost completely in order to not kill your night vision. You also have to resist the temptation to use a big spotlight, because your night distance vision is less with all the backscatter that a high candlepower spot light throws vs your adjusted and non polluted night vision.

Impairment, no lights, too much light, lack of skill, or mechanical failure, all can lead to tragedy. It is very sad to read of accidents like this or any accident. Boating at night isn't the issue here, it is going to be one of the factors above. It has to be said...many times on the water, I see boats with dock lights, search lights, spot lights, running across the water. They are BLINDING everyone else and not really improving their own visibility at all. What does someone say to themselves when they get in a boat or a car, and turn on bright lights? I past 5 cars in a 5 mile stretch of country road last night with their bright lights on. It virtually blinded me from being able to see anything that might have been in my lane. Of the 5, only one dimmed his lights when I flashed him. Don't blind your traffic, they may hit you!

 

[Ronnie]

Yeah, I'd LOVE to stay out and watch the sunset from the lake but this kind of stuff has me nervous.

I agree. It can happen day or night but more often than not it seems to be at night. Some of the lakes / reservoirs I boat on do not allow any boating at night. At the Modesto reservoir you cant even sleep on your boat at anchor or beached at night. On the rivers that make up the Sacramento delta though anything goes and often it does. I made the mistake of boating to watch the July 4th fireworks once, never again, as soon as the show was over around 10 (it didnt start until dark about an hour earlier but many people were on the water all day before the show) it was a mad full speed dash back to the ramp with hundreds of other boats in the dark and more than just a few people drunk at their helms I'm sure.

Having an innocent bystander die makes it all the more tragic, I feel for her significant other especially if he or she had to break the news to her kids. "Mommy is not coming home again, ever." Mean while the perpetrator is out in bail, at least he stuck around instead of running and hiding but I can't imagine a punishment that would fit the crime here. Like many instances, a monetary award, if any, no matter how large, will not make the victims whole, and unless the perp is charged with a DUI he won't get any time behind bars.

As a side note remember what happened at clear lake in lake county a few years ago? A sheriff with a Baja ramped a sail boat at dusk killing a passenger and the local prosecutor went after the sail boat operator instead of the sheriff who was allegedly drunk (of course they conveniently failed or decided not to conduct a timely sobriety check on the guy). That incident keeps me from ever going to that lake. Too me it exemplifies the term "travesty of justice". It's been featured on the local news and my insurer boat us even did a story on it, they where trying to raise money for the sail boat owners defense. The person who died was his fiancé and this financially ruined him long before it went to trial. As I recall the sheriff either had his legal fees paid by the county or he didn't incur any since he wasn't charged for the death.

Here is a follow up blurb on that situation for anyone who is interested.
http://www.victorhaltom.com/pdf_documents/dinius.ncip.article.pdf

 

[Bruce]

Boating at night is awesome....but you have to be careful and aware....just like driving a car at night. Don't know the stats, but bet it is more dangerous to drive a car....

The interesting question in this story will be....was the powerboat captain impaired, and was the sailboat running with no lights?

Weather.com has a video about the Seattle accident. It shows a sailboat that I assume to be the one in the accident with the mast illuminated.

 

[tri-guy]

we had a similar incident north of Toronto on Canada Weekend. a couple in a paddle boat was run over by a runabout in broad daylight??? how does this happen???

the laws up here are pretty strict in regards to drinking and boating, but not a lot of police presence on the water.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbu...ged-after-fatal-bartlett-lake-crash-1.2708361

 

[Ronnie]

Here is a link to a boating accident that happened "close" to me in N. Cal. Only one boat involved and it sounded like the driver just drove beyond his capability but tragic nonetheless. It took about a week for them to recover all of the bodies, none had a life vest on them. Poor widow of the driver, lost her husband and probably not in good standing with the other victims' families. There is a video link at the bottom of the page that is worth the 30 second commercial to see. It was a nice boat.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=13856A4D6E49B4893AFC13856A4D6E49B4893AFC

 

[Lspeedss]

All horrible...