Fatal accident at LOTO Sat.
 

Two 20 year old girls were killed Sat. at the 3MM. Apparently a 32 ft. Envision was leaving Village Marina and the two girls cut in front of them while on a jet ski. The Envision threw the boat in reverse but was unable to avoid hitting the girls. They were killed instantly. First boating related fatalities in 2 yrs.

Oh man that is sad to hear. I was amazed in the maner that everyone on that lake seemed to know what was going on for the most part. I was there on the first big weekend with the new no wake zone so there was some confusion however I saw no close calls all weekend. This is sad to read.

Jon

I heard this over the radio Monday morning :(
Sad to hear.
I know it seemed like my boat was an attraction for the lake lice.
They just tend to go what ever direction the feel like.
Sorry to here.

That’s sad 2 lives lost, and maybe future repercussions for the Boating community to live with as well.
Why on land they never would drive a motor Scooter in front of a Large Truck or Train but on water they seem fearless?
:(

Very unfortunate and SO sad! :(

There are just too many jet ski's on that lake. And too many underaged / inexperienced drivers. But it will only get worse. :(

:( :(

Sorry to hear this.

And I bet the jet-ski was rented... "here ya go, let me just run your daddy's credit card and off you go. Keep it under 50, OK?"

Sad.

Very sad to here. I had a couple lake lice cut in front of me also, but nothing to severe. I do have to say that one of the best jet ski riders I saw down there was about 12 years old. She was in cove we were exploring. I saw her come out of her dock and she was always aware of where we were and never came too close. As were leaving the cove I gave her some big wakes to jump. She gave me a Thank You wave and still never came within a 100 feet of my boat.
Now if everyone had been taught this well I'm sure there would be a lot less accidents and near misses.

Having been to loto several times now, I am saddened but not surprised to hear this. It is truley a shame.:(

Griff, hope the rest of your stay was as good as the first part. It dawned on me after I got home that I never left you any $$ to get me a t-shirt. If you did manage to find me one, let me know what I owe you and I'll send you some cash immediately!!! If not, no big huge deal....I'll get over it....someday......in 2009......

LOL!!!!

Mike

I stopped by my uncles cottage on the lake found out that my cousins husband helped himself to the new seadoo 1100,
on the way back to the dock he missjudged the distance to the dock ran into it! totaled it and almost killed himself and my uncle,
swimming next to the dock and of course no lifejacket.
I told my uncle NEVER let anyone one touch it without some explanation of it's operation. We really need a lic system for these things. I own a standup. took both jetsmart and boatsmart coastguard approved courses.:rolleyes:

So sad :(

I hate regulations but by the very nature of these vessels, a safety course of some kind should be mandatory. These things are too affordable to the masses. And the majority of the masses know nothing about the rules of the road on the water. I equate some of the stupidity I've seen to having a dirtbike riding on the shoulder of the freeway going about 50mph thinking he has to be going faster than anyone else, couldn't be any car or truck that could go faster, so he takes a hard left into 65 or 75 mph traffic. If they would only think about it that way they might stay alive longer. The actions taken by most people and these "Toys" should be limited to closed course areas, not main vessel traffic areas.

It's too late for these two young girls. Very sad.....

so,so sad.i hate to hear things like this!:( :(

We were there that weekend to ,we spoke with the water patrol policeman that actually had to go tell the parents .He said that was one of the toughest things he has ever done.God be with the parents of the girls.
David

:( :( :( :(

This may not be a time to mention this and all my respects go out to the families of all involved....but isn't it about time that we put some required boating safety courses in place along with certain licensing requirements????? As I said no disrespect intended to the families grieving over their losses......Sean

Sad to hear. In my humble opinion, that's why those water nats have to be regulated better. They are just another boat and people think they can just jump on and go without any real training or understanding of the rules on the road and water. Perhaps these types of incidents will wake up those wo use them before the insurance companies start to make it cost prohibitive for us all to enjoy watersports! USCG should require training for all just like a license is required for driving a car. I know that would be a pain in the ass but it could help save lives!

Foul, we never went back to Shooters at all, so sorry we didn't get any T's.

PWC
 

Not that it mater becase I will never have them but my insurace company WILL NOT rite a police for them. But it is sad how many will die or be seriusly hur before something that is not over kill is done? Charlie

I am on both ends of this discussion. I have a 43' boat and have had to make many emergency moves to avoid collisions with PWC's usually when they make a sudden stop in the main channel or turn without warning. It is not always PWC's either I have seen some boats do the same dumb things, but boats usually keep more distance between themselves and others.
I also have SeaDoos and enjoy them very much. Since I have been riding motorcycles on the street for 32 years I tend to look at everything as a potential danger and this mild paranoia has kept me alive.
I have also seen people pulling tubes down the main channel on the busiest weekends and wondered if there was any way the tow boats could protect them if they fall off. I dont think that a head bobbing in the water is going to show up well enough to avoid getting hit by a large boat.
As our waterways become more crowded education and licensing will happen it is just a matter of how and when. Unfortunately this will cost us some money and time but there really is no other way to insure that people know things that some of us consider common sense.
Will accidents still happen? You bet. Will people still do things that put them in harms way? No doubt. Will education and licensing help? We wont know untill we try but it will never replace a healthy dose of paranoia.
Steve

Very Sad indeed
 

Any time a life is lost in a senseless accident it is tragic. My heart goes out to the families of the 2 women.

Perhaps our Missouri legislators will stop worrying about Party Cove and start focusing their attention to other more pertinant issues around the lake.

Education and licensing to be able to drive a boat or pwc
Perhaps there could be a water / boaters safety and operation class that is required to have a license to operate any watercraft with a motor. Raise the age to operate watercraft to 16 just like automobiles.

Business's who rent pwc's need to be licensed and regulated, most of the places that rent them have kids handling it. These business's need to be responsible to make sure that whoever they are renting these to KNOW the rules of the lake ie: who has the right of way, distances from docks, boats etc. And to pay attention and realize they are one of the smallest and most powerful (hp to size and weight ratio) on the lake.

Todays pwc are so fast and powerful and can turn on a dime, We Parents need to think again about handing the keys over to our kids and sending them out on the lake without first educating them on how to operate them safely and respect other boaters.

No wake bouys also need to be addressed. It seems to me that as the pwc population has exploded so has the no wake bouy sales. I read about people complaining about the Big boats tearing up their docks and this is true in some cases however when you get a dozen or more pwc in a cove (which is pretty common) they can churn that water much worse than a 42' boat going in a straight line.

Just my .02 you may agree or disagree. But our legislators need to look into making our lakes safer

One more thing
 

We were out to see the fireworks at 4 seasons on Sunday night and when they were over .................It was like a mad house. Idiot and irresponsible boaters laying into the throttle to head out.

A relaxing evening of watching fireworks with our neighbors from our boat became a nerve wracking event.

I have been driving boats on LOTO for 30 years and as the lake population and watercraft population grows the respect for other boaters and safety has diminished greatly.

Lets not ruin our waterways lets improve them by educating boaters.

again my .02

Ok, I gotta chime in here....I have driven boats of every size on this lake, and PWC's of every brand as well, and greatly enjoy both. I too have been absolutely amazed at the stupidity displayed by those on PWC's and boats as well...and, I've seen incredibly smart things as well, the above 12 year old is a good example of someone who has obviously been taught how to and how not to ride...and as Lutz has said, education is the key..period. You gotta learn to drive a car, you damn well should have to learn to drive both boats and PWC's.

Also as mentioned earlier, anyone with Dad's credit card can rent all the PWC they could never handle.. "Oh, hell, you look 16 and responsible, here you go...if something is in front of you...turn" We residents see it every day...had a guy tagged by a 38 footer out in front of the marina last weekend..he lived, but hurt like hell. No one wants to explain the lack of off throttle steering, the extreme turning ability, the need to look up and pay attention, as witnesses say the two girls were not doing.

As a guy whose lived at the lake for a long time, I get sick of reading stories like this..they happen weekly, and almost every time we hear of an accident, it usually involved a PWC or two.
I have two nephews who just started riding Sea Doo's, they love them, and I love riding with them...you can believe I have had long talks with them about safety, handling, watching for other boats and watercraft..paying attention, etc. I've made them read some accounts of accidents which are pretty icky, but make an impact. Not trying to blow my horn, I just think if more people would make an effort, and as Lutz says, show way more respect for other watercraft, we'd have a lot fewer stories like what happened to these girls..

Got kinda wordy, but, this is one topic that I jump up on my soapbox on...these accidents plain and simple do not have to happen, and shouldn't happen. Period.

WM

P.S. In the above ranting, the author is not blasting anyone or any industry, just making some points.

Oh, and I was at Tantara Sunday night for Fireworks..great show, perfect evening conditions...as soon as the grand finale' was over????? Off to the races..we were in a 33' boat, and decided to idle home..it was easier that way. Could not believe how fast and reckless many boaters were going.

Ok, I'll stop now..... :)

Well stated
 

Well Stated oh wordy one. I too was on a roll, I told Amy I had to stop or all my thoughts would have poured out. I could do a quite lengthy post regarding the No Wake bouys and lack of control on their placement and enforcement.

But I wont.

Who are the legislators for the loto counties? We need to get their ear and preach our message of education and safety in boating on ALL waterways.

Get the puritans away from thinking that the only thing they have to worry about at loto is party cove, its a one mile secluded area of an over 100 mile long lake.

The education and safety issue at Loto is something that I think the Marine Dealers association could champion and show that they are not only concerned about selling boats but about promoting safe responsible boating. There are a few dealers who sell the majority of the pwc's, I feel it would be a good faith effort on their part to promote education and safety as well, What do you think?

I was witness to a similar situation at our fireworks show this past weekend. The police turned the downriver boaters oose at the same time as the police turned the upriver boaters loose. They had a section of the river closed for the fireworks. I witnessed this from a seventh floor viewpoint 75 feet above the water, and you wouldn't have believed it. These people were absolute idiots throttling for the local launch ramp. I saw a jetboat go between two boats running 25 feet apart going upriver and the jetboat going downriver, at all about 40-50 mph. The worst thing fortunately that happened was a small houseboat got blown up on the shore. Police boats and fire boats surrounded it and we could not see what all happened, although nothing was reported in the paper about injuries. What I saw would rival the largest poker run start in history, at night. Not to mention I am sure there were many of the boats being driven by people over the legal alcohol limit. I really can't believe people are this careless and never give it another thought.
As far as the wreck with the two girls, God Bless their families, you just hate to hear such a senseless accident that started with innocent fun. I ride a 70 mph jet ski and respect it for its danger, I also drive a 100+ mph cat boat. Bottom line is there needs to be education for all regarding safety, including boats. Certainly I have an advantage, because I have been stared in the face while driving my boat with the jetskier looking like a deer in the headlights. I think the bottom line is respect, for the boats, the jetskis danger, and certainly someone else's life. Sometimes it does make you mad when these people cut in front of you, but never lose sight of the fact that could be your kid, your mom, your wife, your dad , your brother or sister, and you would pray that others reapect that. By this I certainly I am not implying blame on either side regarding the LOTO accident, merely offering the opportunity to those reading this to think long and hard about how dangerous life in general really is, and how quickly loved ones can be taking unnecesarily. Again my condolences to all parties involved and God Bless.

Very sad to here about this death, but unfortunatly it was not the only one that took place this past weekend. Up by Chillicathe Il. a jet ski was hit by a 42 Fountain after the jet ski shot out right in front of the boat from what I've heard. The owner of the ski had just bought it on Thursday and took two friends with him that are still in the hospital. Hopefully they will be ok and pull through.

I hope it does not come down to a lic. but if it does it should be it's own lic. not attached to my drivers lic. I do agree with someone who stated that they owned a bike and had a better idea of what to look for, I owned bikes for years and you do pay more attension.

Good luck to everyone for the rest of the year.

ttt
 

I think this is a cause that needs to be addressed. Im just not sure what the proper channels or protocol might be for getting the ear of legislators. Not only in Missouri for LOTO and other waterways. Im certain other navigable (sp?) waterways are in just as much disaray. :(

Re: ttt
 

Lutz, I agree that something needs to be done, however, I'm not sure that new laws are the answer. Stepping up enforcement might be a better way to go.

By that I mean, instead of Johnny Law pulling over the guy with pipes that are 3 db too loud, maybe they should be stopping jetski's that are cutting between boats, or ticketing the big cruiser throwing a monster wake through a raft of anchored boats, or going after the Bubbas that are fishing in the middle of a busy channel. Or nailing the fool hammering down the lake in his offshore at night. I'm sure you can insert a few other situations that need proper attention.

The way I see it, there are not enough water cops, and the ones that are out there are not properly trained. Looking at the LOTO accident page, it seems like 8 out of 10 accidents involve PWCs - so start cracking down on the jetskis! Pull them over, give warnings, warn the parents, then hand out tickets if necessary. Post an officer or two right outside the rental offices. Get the CG Aux to volunteer to give a 15 minute "rules of the road" talk at the rental places (complete with pictures from accidents like the one descibed here). I'm betting most 'skis are rented first thing in the morning or right after lunch; the rental places should see that this is in their best interest (wait till someone sues them for not properly instructing the next person who gets killed - only a matter of time).

Will that prevent all the accidents? Of course not, but I'm betting that would have the most impact. Just tossing some thoughts out - never been to LOTO, but it's probably no different than Lake St. Clair.

As always, YMMV...