Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

A 14 year old girl was killed here on Boone Lake yesterday while riding a jet ski. Apparently 2 members of her own family were riding a second ski and ran up over her from behind. Some folks on a pontoon went to her aid and performed CPR until the medics arrived. We were out boating and came on the scene a bit later when the coroner was there. So sad, so preventable...

http://m.wcyb.com/news/breaking-one-per ... t/26904370

Damm Jet ski's I hate them.

Makes ya sad, sorry

Sorry to hear she died so young

so sad. 14 is WAY too young to be alone on a PWC. People use them as 2-stroke babysitters and they wonder why kids get hurt, maimed or killed.

Tim

I got the insurance renewal on my 2010 Waverunner VX. $285 for $6500 coverage ACV.

I also got my insurance renewal on my 2012 Bennington 24SSLX and a F150 Yamaha. $260 for $35K stated value insurance.

That's an indication to how expensive insurance claims (including liability) are on Personal Watercrafts. Thankfully, our lake is big and wide, and we seldom see Waverunners doing dangerous maneuvers. The boating drivers license and the safety education has also seemed to payoff on younger boat operators.

I'd love to have one of the 68 mph fire breathing supercharged PWC's. But they're almost like a death wish if you have a 16 year old kid. Most have a high chance of being injured on one. 68 mph is much more dangerous than my 54 mph machine--which I seldom get over 35 mph.

This is no doubt a tragedy, but it is not the PWC's fault. Most likely improper training. There are a lot of idiots that give PWC's a bad name, but when used properly, they can be very enjoyable. I've had one or more at all times for 16+ years. I would never allow young/untrained operators anywhere near the keys to mine.

Man you hate to hear stories like that... but those damn jet ski's are an accident waiting to happen, primarily because of the way people ride them... a year or so back we were out on the toon running along at about 20 mph and these two kids on jet ski's came out of nowhere from a cove and cut in front of me... they were so close to the front of my boat that when they passed in front of me I couldn't even see them... I threw it in neutral as quick as I could but for about 3 seconds there I thought I killed them.... scared the hell out of me....

I boat on Chickamauga Lake in TN and I will tell you that I am not sure how this is not an every weekend event here. In TN if you are 12 or older and pass a very, very easy TWRA exam, you are free to drive a PWC, no experience needed. I will also say I see alot of bad boaters on the lake (most of which absolutely do not understand boats do not have brakes) which is why my wife and I boat mainly during the week and leave the weekends to the brave.

In WV the laws were changed to you must hold a drivers license to operate a jet flea and it has helped a small amount.

Updated info: They are now reporting the girl was driving with her mother sitting behind her. The father was driving the other ski that struck the first one. Both adults were transported to the hospital and both skis were seized by TWRA for analysis, reconstruction, and further investigation.

New law starting in July here in Ga. anyone born after 1989 must take a safe boating coarse before they can operate a vessel.

bummer for sure,we call them lake lice,i have owned them before,you gotta be carefull on the water no matter what your in.

Capt Sully wrote:New law starting in July here in Ga. anyone born after 1989 must take a safe boating coarse before they can operate a vessel.

They have the same law in TN and NC. The problem is that the test is so basic and simple that your basic idiot could pass it and still be a safety danger on the water. It's maybe a step in the right direction, and I don't know the answer for sure but, as others have already stated, you're basically turning kids loose on a powerful machine, capable of high speeds, and with little to no knowledge of the danger they are in control of.

You have to be 16 years old in NC for a pwc license.