Personal Watercraft Accidents photo detail Cover Photos: (Courtesy of FWC) On August, 06, at approximately :00 pm, a struck a pontoon boat at Stump Pass State Park. The and pontoon boat were both rental vessels. The operator of the attempted to make a hard right turn while in a strong tidal current. As he made the turn, he noticed he was heading toward the pontoon boat, beached at the park. He panicked and released the throttle subsequently losing steerage and colliding with the pontoon boat. The made contact with the back of the starboard pontoon, the rear deck, and ladder. The operator was ejected upon impact but uninjured. There were no passengers on the pontoon boat at the time of the accident. There was significant damage to both vessels. The was missing approximately three feet of the hull's port side panel, as well as foam insulation. The pontoon s rear deck, ladder and railing were cracked and folded inward. The starboard pontoon had a substantial dent as well. Foam insulation from the was imbedded between the pontoon and deck. The operator later advised that the operation of the and the location of its safety gear were explained to him by the rental company staff before taking to the water. This was his first time operating a.
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT DATA 06 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION AND ACCIDENTS BY COUNTY County Pleasure Rental Total Accidents Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Rank Accident Rate* Alachua 7 77 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Baker 0 0 0 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Bay,08 90,38 0 6 $,0 0 :6 Bradford 39 0 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Brevard 3,6 7 3,8 0 0 $,000 9 :3,8 Broward 8,77 39 8,76 6 0 $3,700 7 :,3 Calhoun 6 0 6 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Charlotte,70,6 $7,00 8 :3 Citrus 960 0 960 0 0 0 0 3 0 Clay,63 0,663 0 0 0 0 3 0 Collier 3,03 33 3,37 3 0 3 $00 6 :,79 Columbia 83 8 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Desoto 83 87 0 $000 8 :87 Dixie 66 0 66 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Duval 3,80 8 3,868 0 3 $8,00 :967 Escambia,697 0,737 0 0 $3000 6 :,737 Flagler 7 8 763 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Franklin 39 3 8 0 $0 30 :8 Gadsden 76 0 76 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Gilchrist 00 0 00 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Glades 3 0 3 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Gulf 7 9 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Hamilton 0 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Hardee 03 07 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Hendry 88 0 88 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Hernando,0,08 3 0 $9,600 3 :369 Highlands,0, 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Hillsborough 6,93 9 6,3 0 7 $8,00 9 :,68 Holmes 69 0 69 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Indian River 89 8 0 $,00 3 : Jackson 33 3 36 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Jefferson 68 0 68 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Lafayette 0 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Lake,38 0,39 0 0 $,000 9 :,97 Lee,7 0,96 7 $8,300 :70 Leon 7 78 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Levy 90 0 90 0 0 0 $0 3 0
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT DATA 06 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT REGISTRATION AND ACCIDENTS BY COUNTY County Pleasure Rental Total Accidents Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Rank Accident Rate* Liberty 30 3 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Madison 3 0 3 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Manatee,99,33 0 $3,00 :,77 Marion,80 7,87 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Martin,08 6, 0 $,000 0 :76 Miami-Dade 3,6 6,6 0 6 $7,300 :7 Monroe,830 09,39 3 33 $3,90 :70 Nassau 69 8 67 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Okaloosa 3,09 33 3,3 7 0 $,00 6 :77 Okeechobee 9 97 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Orange 6,6 67 6,69 3 0 3 $,000,3 Osceola,873 0,883 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Palm Beach 6,3 63 6,387 8 6 $7,900 798 Pasco 3,67 3,6 0 3000 :,8 Pinellas 8,0 86 8,307 8 0 $,0 3 :6 Polk,930,9 0 $0 3 :,9 Putnam 63 3 66 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Santa Rosa,903 68,97 0 $,00 7 :,97 Sarasota,7,38 3 0 3 $,00 :79 Seminole 3,3 0 3,36 0 $00 :,683 St. Johns,667 7,68 3 $00 7 :6 St. Lucie,30 7,37 $,00 8 :67 Sumter 3 0 3 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Suwannee 9 97 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Taylor 7 0 7 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Union 6 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Volusia,3 8,6 0 $30,000 :3 Wakulla 0 0 0 0 $0 3 0 Walton 88 6 60 0 $3,000 :60 Washington 3 0 0 0 $0 3 0 DHSMV 8 97 TOTAL 8,07 3,93,0 8 3 $3,0 :769 *Accident Rate = # of Registered Vessels # of Accidents Those Counties in bold print represent the top ten counties for boating accidents in 06. DHSMV numbers represent registrations issued at the main office instead of at county level 6
TOTAL REGISTERED,0 3% Other vessels 809,930 87% OWNERSHIP BY REGISTRATION (rental) 3,93 3% (private) 8,07 97% (rental) 89 / 9% Rented vessels 36 / % COMPARISON OF TO VESSELS INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS (private) 8 / 3% Private vessels 739 / 7% *99 vessels involved in accidents ACCIDENTS 0-06 ACCIDENTS TOP ELEVEN COUNTIES 06 8 Volusia Bay 0 6 Hillsborough Charlotte 0 0 Broward Okaloosa 6 7 Lee 7 03 37 Palm Beach 8 Pinellas 8 0 3 Miami-Dade Monroe 0 3 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 0 30 3 * counties shown due to tie for tenth place 7
ACCIDENT SITE LOCATION RESTRICTED AREA ACCIDENTS Port/harbor Idle speed Lake/pond Canal/cut Other Inlet/pass 7 Manatee slow speed River/creek 0 MPH limit 6 Ocean/gulf Bay/sound Slow speed 0 0 0 30 0 0 60 0 0 0 *37 accidents occurred within a restricted area OPERATION AT TIME OF ACCIDENT Docked (moored) Docking/undocking Launching/loading 3 Drifting 7 Wake/surf jumping 0 Changing speed Changing direction Cruising 99 0 0 0 60 80 00 0 *7 involved in 8 accidents 8
PRIMARY TYPE OF ACCIDENT Collision with floating object/person Skier mishap/fall Skier hit object Struck by boat (person) Struck underwater object Other 3 Fire/explosion (fuel) 3 Capsizing 3 Grounding 8 Falls overboard Fall on Collision with fixed object 30 Collision with vessel 67 On July 3 st, a -year-old male was operating a, along with two female passengers. The operator was driving in circles and according to the occupants, he let go of the throttle when they were heading toward a channel marker. By doing so, the operator lost steering of the which caused him to strike the channel marker. The impact ejected everyone from the. The operator and one occupant struck the marker and the other landed in the water. The operator suffered fatal injuries. The occupant that struck the marker received a laceration to her knee requiring staples. The other occupant was not injured. 0 0 0 30 0 0 60 70 80 *8 accidents (Based on first harmful event as determined by the state reviewing authority) OPERATOR AGE Less than 7 3 / 6% Unknown 9 / % + 6 / % OWNERSHIP OPERATOR EXPERIENCE (HOURS) Unknown 3 / 6% 7-3 / 6% -3 8 / 38% 36-0 / % (rented) 89 / % (borrowed) 3 / % (owner household) 96 / % <0 98 / % 0-00 66 / 3% 00+ 38 / 8% *8 accidents involving 7 and operators Operator information for nine are unknown due to hit and run accidents or no operators at time of accident 9
0 03 0 0 06 OPERATOR EDUCATON OPERATORS BY AGE Unknown 9 / % No boater education 30 / 6% Boater education 76 / 3% *8 accidents involving operators WITHOUT BOATER EDUCATION 0-6 7- -3 36-0 + 0-6 7- -3 36-0 + 0-6 7- -3 36-0 + 0-6 7- -3 36-0 + 0-6 7- -3 36-0 + 3 8 9 9 9 3 0 3 3 8 33 36 38 6 60 6 0 0 0 60 FATALITIES 0-06 INJURIES 0-06 06 06 3 0 0 8 0 0 98 03 8 03 0 7 0 7 0 6 8 0 0 0 80 0 60 30
PRIMARY INJURY TYPES Burns Amputation Spinal injury Shock Neck injury Teeth and jaw Sprain/strain Other Internal injury Back injury Head injury Contusions Broken bone(s) Laceration 3 6 8 0 3 0 0 0 30 3 0 *8 accidents involving 3 injured persons COMPARISONS OF FATALITIES COMPARISONS OF INJURIES fatalities / 6% injuries 3 / 3% Other vessel fatalities 6 / 8% Other vessel injuries 89 / 69% 3
PRIMARY CAUSE ASSESSED BY REVIEWING AUTHORITY Weather Other Violation of nav rule Off throttle steering-jet Ignition of fuel vapor Failure to vent fumes Congested waters Hazardous waters Skier or occupant behavior Machinery failure Equipment failure Vision obstructed Alcohol use Sharp turn Excessive speed Careless/reckless No proper look-out/inattention Operator inexperience 3 3 7 6 37 9 0 0 0 30 0 0 60 INVESTIGATING AGENCY Police Department Sheriff's / 3% Office 3 / 8% FWC / 89% *8 accidents 3