ADDITIONAL CAUSES OF MARINE CASUALTIES

2009 U. S. Coast Guard Executive Summary

• In 2009, the Coast Guard counted 4730 accidents that involved 736 deaths, 3358 injuries and approximately $36 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating  accidents.
• The fatality rate was 5.8 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. This rate represents a 3.6% increase from last year’s fatality rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
• Compared to 2008, the number of accidents decreased 1.23%, the number of deaths increased 3.81% and the number of injuries increased 0.81%.
• Almost three-fourths of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, eighty-four (84) percent were not reported as wearing a life jacket.
• Only fourteen percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction.
• Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.
• Operator inattention, operator inexperience, excessive speed, improper lookout and alcohol rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
• Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 16% of the deaths.
• Eighteen children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2009. 50% of the children who died in 2009 died from drowning. 44% of those who drowned were wearing a life jacket as required to do so by state law.
• The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (46%), personal watercraft (22%), and cabin motorboats (14%).
• The 12,721,541 boats registered by the states in 2009 represent a 0.23% increase from last year when 12,692,892 boats were registered.

Listed below are some of the more common types of marine casualties. Prevention of these casualties can be achieved by simple common sense measures such as; knowing where your boat is, knowing the status of the propeller in relation to people in the water, slowing down, maintaining a proper lookout, and learning of local hazards. 

Skier mishap

Causes:

• Hands or feet caught in the towline due to lack of communication between the towboat operator and skier.
• Skier struck by propeller or outdrive unit due to operator coming too close to skier or not shutting off the engine.
• Operating too close to the shoreline, shoreline structures, buoys or boats.
• Operating too fast for the skier’s abilities.
• Improper retrieval methods.
• Carbon Monoxide asphyxiation when skiers are near engine exhausts.

Prevention:

• The boat operator must constantly communicate with skier and observer. Always know the location of the skier in the water.
• Turn off the engine when skiers are preparing to enter the water, or during retrieval when the person is within swimming distance of the boat.
• Operate well away from the shoreline, docks or other structures.
• Know your skier’s abilities and don’t operate beyond them.
• Never allow teak surfing or dragging as the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, or severe injury, are great.

Collision with another vessel or object

Causes:

• Lack of a proper lookout.
• Not following the established navigation rules of the road.
• Excessive speed.

Prevention:

• Always maintain a proper lookout.
• Know and follow the navigation rules.
• Go slow when in unfamiliar waters or when maneuvering in close-quarter situations such as docking or getting underway from a dock.

Striking a submerged object

Causes:

• Improper lookout and/or excessive speed.
• Not knowing the local area or consulting a chart.
• Plain bad luck, as many times there is no way to see a submerged or partially submerged object before striking it.

Prevention:

• Maintain a proper and effective lookout at all time.
• Learn the local area and use the appropriate charts.
• Operate slowly when in unfamiliar areas, at night, or after recent heavy rains.

Vessel, Propeller, Propulsion Unit, or Steering Machinery Strikes a Person

The annual U.S. Coast Guard recreational boating statistics on fatalities and injuries show propeller incidents represent 4 percent of all fatalities, with a growing number of injuries.  Since the danger is not readily visible to boating participants, the boat operator and passengers may not recognize or consider the consequences of accidental or inadvertent contact with propellers. 

Causes:

• Not knowing where people are in relation to the boat is a major cause of propeller strikes.
• Not following the established safety rules of always shutting off the engine when retrieving skiers or swimmers.
• Persons falling out of the boat due to sudden unexpected maneuvers, excessive speed, bow riding, or horseplay. There is also a phenomenon known as the “Circle of Death” wherein a person is ejected from their boat, the boat begins circling the person and eventually strikes them. The circling is generally caused by an outboard motor which gets stuck in a hard left or right turn.

Prevention:

• Maintain a proper lookout and a safe speed.
• Always shut off the engine(s) when preparing to put anyone in the water or when retrieving a person from the water (skier, swimmer, etc.).  
• To prevent a propeller strike from occurring to a boat operator who falls overboard while the boat is under power, wear a lanyard or remote electronic type “kill switch” that will shut off the engine when the lanyard is pulled or the remote electronic kill switch is submerged in water.

Motorboat propellers can inflict severe, devastating injuries that result in death, loss of extremities, severe permanent deformity, disfigurement, and/or disability.  Every year people who recreate on and around boats are struck by the propeller of their boat or another boat.  Even propellers in neutral or at rest can cause serious injuries.