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Spring brings rise in boating accidents

By Robin FitzgeraldĀ 

Warmer weather beckons boaters and fishermen to South Mississippi waterways, and with the change in seasons comes an increase in boat-related accidents and deaths.

Seasonal reminders of public-safety precautions hit home Tuesday as marine patrol officers spent a fourth day searching for a fisherman who disappeared in the Bay of St. Louis. Lee McWilliams Jr. was in a party of four whose boat capsized in choppy waters Sunday. McWilliams and another man aboard the boat were not wearing life jackets.

Boating laws and regulations don’t require anyone over the age of 13 to wear a life preserver, but marine patrol officers “would like to see everyone wear their life jackets,” said Lt. Frank Wescovich, head of the state Department of Marine Resources boat and water safety program.

Public safety groups that specialize in water safety are adamant that simple precautions can save lives and prevent accidents.

Operator error accounts for 70 percent of all boating accidents, and drowning remains the leading cause of boating-related deaths, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Its latest-available statistics show 710 people died and 3,474 were injured in boat-related accidents in 2006.

In Mississippi seven people died and 31 were injured in boating accidents reported to the Coast Guard that year.

National statistics show boat-related accidents and deaths begin to increase in April.

At least two boating-related accidents have made local headlines in recent months. A Vancleave fisherman died and another was injured when two boats collided in Jackson County on Feb. 7. In October a Jackson County man was found dead five days after he failed to return from a fishing trip.

DMR and the Coast Guard urge those who enjoy boating to take a boater-safety course, then check weather conditions before heading out on the water.

They also recommend filing a float plan with a responsible friend or family member. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but should include the place you plan to depart, where you expect to travel, the time you expect to return and the names of everyone on board. The information can be given to authorities for search-and-rescue or recovery efforts if needed.

DMR’s marine patrol officers are in the search-and-recovery stage in efforts to locate McWilliams. The Picayune man, his sister and their partners went fishing near Henderson Point on Sunday. A passer-by notified authorities that their 16-foot vessel had flipped in choppy waters. One man and two women were rescued.

“Day and night shifts continue the search for Mr. McWilliams,” Lauren Thompson, DMR public relations director, said Tuesday.

www.sunherald.com

Posted In: Boat Safety on March 19, 2008 Comments (802)

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