NTSB cites bridge tender's delay in Louisiana barge allision - Professional Mariner - Web Bulletin 2018

NTSB cites bridge tender's delay in Louisiana barge allision - Professional Mariner - Web Bulletin 2018

8-year-old Pennsylvania girl killed in Putnam boating accident

An 8-year-old at a family reunion in Putnam County was killed Friday when the boat she was in lurched under a dock while she was sitting in a seat in the front of the boat. At the end of a St. Johns River boat ride around 6 p.m., the driver missed an attempt to maneuver onto a boat lift then on a second approach the 23-foot bowrider lurched ahead and under the dock. Olivia Wade, of Springdale, PA, was sitting in the seat and hit the dock. She was taken to Putnam Community Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. The accident happened in the 400 block of West River Road north of Palatka. Among six at the reunion, three were from Pennsylvania and three were from Jacksonville, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Federation. Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-03-25/story/8-year-old-pennsylvania-girl-killed-putnam-boating-accident#ixzz1qAT302H6

Crime or tragic accident? --Trial opens in boating fatality

The driver of a boat on trial for negligent homicide in the Father's Day 2008 death of a 34-year-old Meredith woman had a blood-alcohol level one-and-a-half times the legal limit of .08 when the power boat she was piloting hit Diamond Island, according to the state. Prosecutor Jim Carroll told jurors during opening arguments Monday in the trial of Erica Blizzard, 37, of 36 Gold Street, Lakeport, that the defendant was "impaired" when she crashed the 37-foot 2008 Formula 370 SS she was piloting into the 27-acre island located in The Broads — the widest section of the lake.

Family Sues Hundreds of Lake Shore Residents After Teen's Boating Death - Angel Diaz

MIAMI, Fla. -- There's no denying the 2007 tragedy. Fifteen-year-old Angel Diaz had been invited to go jet-skiing on E Lake in Florida's southwest Miami-Dade County. In broad daylight, Diaz crashed a SeaDoo and died. Was it a simple accident, or should someone be held responsible for the teenager's death? "The parents are now suing every single resident of E Lake," said Gene Kohly, who owns a home on the lake. That's correct. The lawsuit lists every homeowner who lives on the lake. It's five pages of names. All 202 people, it says, are responsible for Angel Diaz's death, except the homeowner who invited Angel to use the lake that day. He's not listed. "It is outrageous," Kohly said. "I was having a discussion with my neighbors and we all say, 'how can they sue us, what could we have done,' and I say, 'I don't know.' We just feel that we're being unfairly targeted for money."

Boating Death Called Freak Accident

BILOXI — A shortcut cost boater Kevin Michael Reed his life.Reed, 24, was at home on the water. His father had taught him to pilot a boat, his friends say, when he was a small boy. He loved to fish from his 21-foot boat, a Kenner with an open console and T-top. He took it out almost every weekend. On Sunday he took four friends to Horn Island, where they grilled. Reed’s best friend, B.J. Rogers, said they headed back early. They planned to go kneeboarding on the Tchoutacabouffa River.

One killed, 2 injured after boat strikes bridge - Jacksonville Florida Boating Accident Lawyers

FREEPORT — Recovery teams discovered the body of a missing man in Choctawhatchee Bay on Monday evening, five hours after he and two others were ejected from a boat that struck the U.S. 331 bridge.The body of Freeport resident William Andrew Moraga, 71, was found at around 6:30 p.m. about 30 yards from the crash, which also injured two others onboard — a man and a 15-year-old girl. The man identified as 73-year-old Harry Lairy Jr., and the 15-year-old is Moraga's granddaughter, Angelica Morales, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland.

How Crowded is Too Crowded on a Boat?? The Answer may not be as Clear as You Think??

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL -- Pleasure boats have a Coast Guard plate mounted near the helm listing the maximum weight and the maximum number of people that can safely be on board. But the operator of the Jacksonville Boat Club says that information can be misleading. "They have a safety label and a tag on each and every one of the boats, and it's rated for weight," said Ryan Walker. "There is a capacity on there, but it's based on a 120-to-140 pound person. And as you know, most people getting on the boats are a little heavier than that, unless they have kids, and that kind of stuff." Walker demonstrated that point with thirteen adults and one infant boarding a boat similar to the one that had fourteen aboard when it crashed in Palm Valley, killing five people. "The legal capacity of the boat sometimes far exceeds what's common sense-wise," said Walker, pointing out the demonstration of fourteen people on his 23-foot boat.

Re-posted by Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers / Clark & Watson PA

Palm Valley Boating Accident - 1/3 of all boating accidents in Florida are boats hitting docks

A state official in charge of managing the Intracoastal Waterway reiterated this week that docks in Palm Valley extend too far toward the center of the channel, hampering boaters in an area where five people were killed when their powerboat slammed into a tugboat moored at a dock. Also, the straightness of the 8-mile stretch of waterway through Palm Valley encourages some boaters to go too fast, officials said... About a third of Florida boating accidents in 2007 involved boats hitting docks and other stationary objects. In its latest annual report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said 109 accidents involved fixed objects compared to 194 in which boats or other vessels collided with each other. ---------------------------------------------- When a boat strikes a stationary object it is called an allision not a collision under the maritime law. The law and legal liabilities of the potential parties are different than when there is a collision between two vessels. Dwayne

State agency to probe fatal Jacksonville Intracoastal Florida boating accident - Posted by Jacksonville Boating Accident Lawyers

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Florida Law enforcement officials said Monday they had launched an investigation into a tragic boating accident near St. Augustine, Florida, that took the lives of five people and seriously injured seven others.

According to FWC investigators, a 22-foot boat with 12 people on board rammed into the rear and right side of a 25-foot tugboat. "We are still investigating and haven't come to any conclusions yet," said Carol Pratt, spokeswoman for FWC. She said they still do not know who was driving the boat. They also are waiting for victims' next of kin to be notified before releasing any of their names and ages.

St Johns County Intracoastal Waterway Boating Accident Leave 5 dead and nine injured - Boat / Tug Posted by Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers

This is a report of a boating accident where a pleasure boat struck a tug and/or barge in the intracoastal waterway. The title to this post links to the Florida Times Union. The Times Union article raises many possible issues including potential overloading, speed, lookout, alcohol consumption, and others. The facts are rarely clear in the beginning of an investigation like this. The reporters, victims and even authorities have a hard time sorting out the actual facts. There could be questions of where and how the tug and barge were moored and whether they were in the proper and safe place under the rules of navigation. Also, this report raises lighting issues although some reports say it happened before dark. In many of these cases issues also arise as to the proper placement and permitting of docks under construction. More and complete facts should come clear as the investigation proceeds. Dwayne Clark

St Johns County Intracoastal Waterway Boating Accident Leave 5 dead and nine injured - Posted by Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers

This was a terrible accident where a boat apparently struck a tug in the intracoastal.