Why Jet Skis Account for Almost 20% of All U.S. Boating Accidents
The Office of Boating Safety of the U.S. Coast Guard said that in 2011, jet skis, also known as personal watercraft or PWCs, accounted for 1,158 of the 5,939 reported boating accidents and for 764 injuries. That’s almost 1 out of every 5 boating accidents, even though jet skis represent a much smaller proportion of all vehicles on the water.
Contact the Gulf of Mexico Boating Accident Attorneys at Denena Points, PC if You or Your Loved One has been Injured in a PWC Crash
We provide a free and confidential initial legal consultation to discuss your accident and available legal options after a serious crash. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And we never charge attorney’s fees unless we win your compensation claim for you. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or reach us through our online contact form to receive your free legal consultation. Put more than 12 years of experience of our Board Certified attorneys to work for your family’s benefit.
The Unique PWC Design Features that Lead to Serious Injuries and Fatal Accidents
Our Gulf of Mexico boating accident attorneys note that most people find certain design features of the jet ski counterintuitive. Unlike other vehicles, you can’t really “brake” a PWC. When you ease off the throttle, the jet ski just has to gradually slow down from water friction as it runs out of power. And steering is largely dependent upon and linked to the throttle. Cut power and you lose steering ability as well.
These unusual design features, great for professional water racers, prove challenging for most jet ski riders. Faced with sudden obstacles in their paths, such as swimmers or other vehicles, the drivers may try to do what they’d do in other vehicles: slow down and steer clear. But on a jet ski, if you slow, you can’t steer.
Many fatal or serious injury crashes result from these counterintuitive design features. Most of them are injuries to family members or friends. Our Gulf of Mexico boating accident attorneys point out that jet ski crashes disproportionately lead to blunt force trauma wounds in the chest or abdomen and/or severe head injuries, as the PWC that the driver suddenly can’t steer impacts swimmers or boaters at high speed.
Get Training on How to drive a Jet Ski before You take to the Water
To compound the problem, only 8 states require all PWC operators to take mandatory training before driving the vehicles. Individual U.S. states all set their own PWC safety requirements. 20 states require training of certain groups of jet ski operators such as people under 21.
Coast Guard statistics show that almost 80% of all serious injury accidents from PWCs result from drivers who lack any formal training in driving a jet ski. Our Gulf of Mexico boating accident attorneys urge you to train before you ride. Driving a jet ski is unlike driving other vehicles.