Boats & Life Jackets

[janette]

Why would anyone be boating after dark with 10 people and 2 life jackets??? It seems like something that would be common sense but people keep taking the risk and lose.

2 drown, 3 missing after nighttime cruise

Help was a dim flicker of light on the far southeastern shore of Lake Ray Hubbard for Sarah Guzman when 10 members of three panicked families abandoned their sinking boat overnight Sunday. With just two life jackets between them, the 22-year-old Dallas woman cast aside her fear of the water as the others in the water cried for help, beginning what would be a swim of more than a mile.

"The only thing I could think was 'I need help,' and I began to swim," she said. "I've always been very afraid of the water, but at that moment, I don't know, I became very courageous."

Swimming through dark choppy water took two hours or more, but authorities say it led to the safe rescue of four of the boaters who were clinging to the two life vests. The bodies of Ms. Guzman's younger sister, 18-year-old Elizabeth Guzman, and Rosa Holguin, 38, of Mesquite were found early Monday. Three were still missing and presumed dead.

 

[JasonLyons]

to me wearing a life jacket is like having tape holding your glasses togeather in the middle

 

[debster812]

This is one of my all time HOT BUTTONS. I was a lifeguard from the time I was 16 to the time I graduated college, I was sailing before I could walk. We never, NEVER set foot on the boat until we had our lifejackets on (the kids) and my dad always had 2x as many spares as he would ever need.

Now that I have a son, and he goes sailing with Nana and Gramps, he does not set foot on the dock of their yacht club without his jacket on. It's just not worth it. Even when he was an infant, he wore it. It's now like second nature to him, and he buckles himself in.

 

[fireplug]

Jason,
Without being preachy, I have searched for and done body removals, on a LOT of drowning victims out of the Kankakee river. Not ONE has ever had on a LIFE JACKET. Maybe they look dorky to you. But I know many people who would probably be alive today had they been wearing one.

Steve

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

They're bulky, uncomfortable and just plain ugly, but they SAVE lives! You get in a car, you need to put on your seat belt. You get in a boat, you need to have life jackets.

Another pet peeve of mine, is that you need to have a driver's license for a car, but not for a boat. There are WAY too many people out on the water who don't know the rules (and who don't care).

 

[Marla Hellwig]

DD had to have a life jacket on before they could even walk down the ramp at the GF for the pirate cruise at WDW - of course she wouldn't have gone unless one was provided - also life jackets are also provided for the Illumination cruises

We don't get in a boat unless the life jacket is on and buckled

 

[Steve H.]

From the day I got to be a strong enough swimmer I never wore a lifejacket, but at minimum, there should always be a lifejacket on the boat for every person in your party!

I mean, those people would have likely been all saved if they just had enough lifejackets to go around (even if they weren't wearing them the whole time). They should have had plenty of time to put them on as the boat was sinking.

BTW, it's also generally a very bad idea to swim for it -- statistically there's a better chance of being saved if you find something, anything on the boat that floats and hang on to it.

 

[brerrabbit]

I own a boat and have for almost 25 years in Texas. Nothing big just an eighteen foot fishing boat. I always have a life jacket for every person aboard, plus a throwable floatation device. I also have a fire extinguisher on board. Now I would have all this regardless but in the state of Texas it is required that you have all this by law. They also require that everyone on board under the age of 14 wear it at all times while in the boat. I have been inspected at the boat ramp more times than I care to remember. I always pass but I cannot tell you the number of people who don't.

I also agree with the person who asked why a license is not required to operate a boat. To many younger people operate watercraft ( including jet skis, wet bikes, and boats) who prove they are not responsible enough to do so. Also since most boating trips are for pleasure they often involve alcohol. Add all this up and on most holiday weekends the water is more dangerous than the roads.

Finally, Dallas has a lot of lakes within a short distance and it makes policing them very difficult, however an effective inspection program at the boat ramps would avoid a lot of the problems.