Another deadly weekend at the Lake/River

[ssc]

As is par for the course, there were at least 4 people killed this holiday weekend at the lake/river. It is so predictable. You can't fix stupid. Alcohol plus stupid equals tragedy. Some drunk idiot fires up his boat while on a sand bar vs pushing off and he is drunk and he fails to look behind and he props a person standing in the water. The drunks brother jumps off the boat to help and he gets the prop. One dead and one in critical. Another jumps off the rocks at Copper Canyon and fails to surface. A scuba diver, or someone who had scuba gear jumps in and finds him--DOA. Another person riding in the front of a deckboat falls out near Needles and drowned. Driver claims he hit a large wake and the person who went overboard didn't know how to swim. Of course no life jacket. Just heard that in Parker, someone lost control of his boat and hit a pier and a passenger was ejected--DOA. Heard about a fire, but no other info. Sure am glad the season is over. There is a reason we don't take the boat out on these weekends. Accidents happen, but----preaching to the choir--I know. I guess common sense aint very common.

Cheers, Steve

[salad_man]

That is terrible, I bet during the week is great out there for you, not nearly as crowded or stupid going on I could imagine.

[cruiserlarry]

This is always a sad situation, and unfortunately, too common...

While I agree there is no cure for stupid, if we're all honest, we've all done stupid things that could have turned out much worse if it weren't for a lucky break, so I hesitate to criticize the victims here...but it shows you why following safety procedures and rules, even in situations were you are sure there will be no problem, is very important.

So, while stupid may not be fixable, stupid accidents can usually be prevented if we speak up whenever we see someone "forget" to use common sense.

[ssc]

I did not express myself as well as I should have. It is not that accidents happen, they do. However, add alcohol and it is a recipe for disaster. It intensifies stupid behavior--or perhaps we can say that alcohol causes people to do stupid things? I am willing to bet that alcohol was involved in each incident. The driver of the boat was arrested for BUI and manslaughter. The bottom line is that mixing alcohol with vehicles is stupid.

This is why I boat on the weekends on off season and during the week on season.

Cheers, Steve

[OLLIE]

Very sad. There's a reason why they build jail houses in the desert OHV areas now. Maybe they need to make a few floating jailhouses to put on the lakes.

[socal_rubi]

Mark twain's comments on the subject of the 4th of July

Statistics show that we lose more fools on this day than in all the other days of the year put together. This proves, by the number left in stock, that one Fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so.
- Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

[Railsplitter]

Just read this post for the first time, and I can tell you as a lifelong small craft sailor: I don't sail on holiday weekends for that very reason, the safety issue. Too many clueless operators, especially in power craft, and it's not worth the aggravation... ya hafta swivel your head like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist" just to keep track of all the yahoos. And I wouldn't readily attribute all collisions, mishaps, deaths, etc., directly to alcohol... I would say ignorance and lack of experience are the real roots of the problem, and alcohol merely exacerbates that existing problem. I personally believe that all powerboat operators should receive documented instruction before being allowed to take the helm or turn the key, while those who don't and cause collision, damage, injury, or death should be prosecuted to the absolute limit. That goes for personal watercraft operators as well... and no minors should be allowed to operate any power craft without documented instruction, period. The parents of kids involved in collisions should receive heller fines for negligence. Every year, knuckleheads die nationwide due to ignorance of the "Rules of the Road"---an easy fix with documented instruction and perhaps even licensing, the same way road drivers must be licensed. A while back, I saw a photo of four kids straddling a personal watercraft on Sewage Bay (Mission Bay) here in Dago, and not one of those kids was over 10 years old. You tell me what a 10-year-old kid knows about power craft operation, or life in general, for that matter... I say: "NOT MUCH." You can demonize alcohol all you want, but the real root of the problem is ignorance. I don't leave shore without a cooler full of beer, but, then again, I received documented instruction and sail training at SDNSC here in Fiddler's Cove. I know when my craft is privileged or burdened, and I follow through in the appropriate manner, although one cannot expect or trust the other skipper to know the "Rules of the Road" in any crossing situation. That's just the way it is in this "Brave New World"---for the record, I prefer to sail on Tuesdays or Thursdays, if the tides and weather forecasts are favorable. Weekends are always crowded, ship movements (naval and commercial fleets) tend to fall on Mondays and Fridays, and the rich clubhouse kooks clog the bay on Wednesdays with their cheesy little "Beer Can Races." Sailors like me who prefer open water and constantly trim everything for maximum boat speed and performance, we like the bay to ourselves, yeah??? As a parting thought: good sailors are like good drivers, always looking down the road and avoiding or steering clear of dangerous situations before they develop into personal hazards, injury, grief, etc. That's my $.02 on this subject, and I drink beer every time I sail... wouldn't leave the ramp or dock without it.

[cruiserlarry]

And I wouldn't readily attribute all collisions, mishaps, deaths, etc., directly to alcohol... I would say ignorance and lack of experience are the real roots of the problem, and alcohol merely exacerbates that existing problem. That's my $.02 on this subject, and I drink beer every time I sail... wouldn't leave the ramp or dock without it.

I do appreciate your point of view, and your honesty - and I understand it to be posted in good humor, so this is not a personal criticism; but, I must comment on what you said:

Very few people of any age or experience can function 100% under the influence of alcohol, and yet I realize having a couple of brews while floating on the bay while fishing won't always impact your ability to get back to shore. Just the same, I believe that a skipper of any vehicle, whether it is a plane, boat, car, or off-road rig, has no business consuming alcohol while in control of anything that has the potential to wreak deadly consequences due to impaired judgement or reflexes, especially if that person has passengers to whom he is responsible. To place the blame on the ignorance or lack of training of others flies in the face of facts, IMO.

Whether licensed or not, there are laws regarding the consumption of alcohol on boats, just as there are for other vehicles, and the laws are there for good reason - because even among the best of us, alcohol will impair our ability to see how impaired we really are, and many who are good folks have make decisions that had fatal consequences as a result of operating a motorized vehicle under the influence.

So, while partying around the campfire is always fun, and I appreciate a good beer as much as the next person, I will not hit the trails after drinking, or go with anyone who consumes alcohol and gets behind the wheel to hit the trails - too often there are situations where quick wit and careful decisions are necessary, and I will not risk my life, or that of my friends, for the sake of a few drinks...and that is my .02 on the subject