Boating Safety--Not Something To Be Taken Lightly

Before you take exception with that statement, check out the following statistics for calendar year 2014, the latest year for which Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) has complete statistics. There were a total of 61 boating incidents, involving 71 vessels, 38 injuries, and 16 deaths. Property damage from these events totaled $617,916. (FYI: Incidents required to be reported to VDGIF include those with more than $2,000 worth of damage by or to the vessel or its equipment, those with injuries requiring medical assistance beyond first aid, those with loss of life, and/or those where someone from a vessel disappears.)

Two of the incidents in which people died involved bass boats. The first occurred at 6:05 p.m., May 2, 2014, on Smith Mountain Lake. A 19-foot bass boat with two people onboard was traveling upstream when it ramped over a 17-foot bass boat with three people onboard. This collision knocked one person from the second boat into the water. This victim died from blunt-force trauma.

The other fatal bass-boat incident occurred at 9:22 p.m., July 31, 2014, again on Smith Mountain Lake. Two subjects were on a 21-foot bass boat traveling at high speed when it hit a large Chris Craft (see accompanying photo of the two damaged vessels). Both boats subsequently began sinking. Both persons on the bass boat died from blunt-force trauma as a result of the collision.

Five of the incidents in which there was loss of life involved canoes. The first occurred at 12 p.m., April 19, 2014, on a private pond in Halifax County. Two people were in a 13-foot canoe when one of them caught a fish and stood up to reel it in. This action caused the canoe to flip over, tossing both occupants in the water. One person swam to shore, but the other didn't know how to swim, went under, and didn't resurface. No life jackets were on onboard or used.

The next fatal canoe incident occurred at 2:30 a.m., June 22, 2014, on a private pond in Dinwiddie County. It involved three people who had gone fishing, eating and drinking in a 13-foot canoe. One person stood up to relieve himself, causing the canoe to capsize. Two people swam the canoe back to the nearest shore, while the other swam toward the opposite bank, where their campsite was located. They subsequently lost verbal contact with the victim, who was known to be a good swimmer. The victim's body was found 50 feet from shore in 10 feet of water. Besides alcohol being involved, no life jackets were available or worn.

The third fatal canoe incident occurred at 3 p.m., Sept. 28, 2014, on Waller Mill Reservoir. Two people were in a 15-foot canoe when it capsized. One of the occupants became trapped under the canoe, so the other grabbed and pulled him to shore, where CPR was begun immediately. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from drowning. Life jackets were worn.

The fourth fatal canoe incident occurred at 6 p.m., Oct. 18, 2014, on a private pond in Pittsylvania County. Two people were fishing from a 14-foot canoe when one of them leaned over, causing the canoe to capsize and throwing both people into the water. The victim was last seen trying to swim to shore. No life jackets were onboard, and none were used. Both individuals had consumed alcohol prior to this incident.

The fifth and final fatal canoe incident occurred at 3:38 p.m., Nov. 11, 2014, on Lake Perry (a private lake). Two people had borrowed a 13-foot canoe to cut down some limbs that were reaching over the water. One person stood up, causing the canoe to capsize. The other person held onto the canoe, while the one who had stood up started swimming toward shore. He subsequently was seen going underwater and did not resurface. No life jackets were in the canoe or used.

10-Year Virginia Boating-Incident Summary

One of the fatal incidents involved two fishermen who found a body floating at 2:30 p.m., Nov. 1, 2014, in the Chickahominy River. They contacted the James City County Fire and Rescue, who subsequently found a partially submerged kayak. Further investigation revealed the kayak had been anchored; the anchor light was still on. The victim's wife said her husband had gone catfishing that night. He was found with one strap of a life jacket wrapped around his arm, but the jacket was not worn. The cause of death was drowning.

Two of the incidents in which people died involved open motorboats. The first occurred at 10:30 p.m., May 30, 2014, on Aquia Creek. The vessel was traveling upstream from the Potomac River with two people onboard. The operator hit a river marker at high speed and died from blunt-force trauma. No life jackets were worn, and alcohol played a factor.

The second open-motorboat incident occurred at 4:20 p.m., June 8, 2014, on the James River. Five people were onboard to go fishing. As they went out, they realized the conditions were too rough and turned around to head back in. The engine stopped running, and the boat started taking on water. The boat subsequently swamped, and all five occupants found themselves in the water. Four life jackets were used; one was not serviceable. Two people drowned in this incident.

Only one fatal incident involved a PWC. It occurred at 5:15 p.m., July 18, 2014, on the Lynnhaven River. The victim was trying to start her PWC when it exploded, throwing her into the air. She landed back on the PWC and fractured her L1 vertebra. She died at a later date as a result of her injuries.

There also was only one fatal incident involving a johnboat. It occurred in the wee hours of Dec. 18, 2014, on Aquia Creek. Two waterfowl hunters were in the 16-foot johnboat, heading to a duck blind in the darkness, when their boat crossed between buoys of a marked commercial gill net. The boat's motor tangled in the net, causing the boat to capsize. The hunters stayed with the boat for about 30 minutes before one of them decided to swim to shore and try to get help. He made it to shore but then lost consciousness for several hours. When he regained consciousness, it was daylight, and he was able to get help from a nearby residence. The survivor said he used a type IV life jacket and the victim had been holding a life jacket. It's believed that the cause of death was cold-water exposure.

The final two fatal incidents involved craft that never were identified in the VDGIF report. On July 19, 2014, the victim's vessel was found beached on the James River in Surry County. The next day, a body was discovered near the Jamestown Ferry, which proved to be the owner of that vessel. A life jacket was not used.

At 1 p.m., Aug. 31, 2014, the victim launched his boat on the Pamunkey River, but it didn't start. The boat began drifting because of the swift current. The victim tried to use his anchor to pull his boat to shore, but his efforts were in vain. The victim subsequently jumped into the water and tried to swim the boat back to shore. Unfortunately, he became tired and disappeared under the water. No life jackets were worn.

To see the entire 2014 VDGIF report (in PDF format) and all of its accompanying charts, click on this link: http://www.usps.org/richmond/library/2014boatingincidentreport.pdf. And let's all work together to make 2016 the safest boating season ever on record.