JET SKI & OFFSHORE RACER CRASH DELTA

Well looks like it is starting. I was at the marina at disco and here comes a boat in full speed in the 5mph area. Their was a girl in the boat that was hurt real bad. She was 15 and riding a jet ski when a 35 ft offshore racer come hauling ass around a corner and run into the jet ski. The girl had head and led injuries. They called in life flight and took her in by air. She was in real bad shape. AS much as I hate too see jet skis and those offshore racers hauling ass in the delta I sometimes would like to see a 30mph speed limit in the narrow channels. I know people like new laws but with all the boating traffic something needs to be done

thats to bad. i won't ride a pwc anymore because my mind tends to get into my own little world, oblivious to my surroundings.

did they say who had the right of way? instead of a speed limit, i feel boat education and or an operators lic should be a manditory requirement. i bet if you ask either the pwc driver or the speedboat driver who had the starboard tack, neither one would know.

nobody should have to get hurt for this to happen. just because someone has the money to purchase a pwc or any type of vessel, it should not give them the right to endanger the lives of others with their ignorance.

The real issue is does a 35foot boat belong in narrow waterways?
The same issues are being addressed in Parker, AZ.
With everyone buying jet skiis and having no idea how to safely operate them, adding to the fact of huge ocean boats at the river. It is a scary situation and hope that the girl pulls out of her injuries ok.

Sorry to hear someone got hurt. And I might get slammed for this.. but a 15 year old SHOULD NOT\black{ be on a PWC or driving a boat on the delta.. or even a lake for that matter. If she isnt old enough to drive a car why should we let her use a powered vehicle on the water.. The delta is dangerous enough with all the yokels driving around drunk after partying all day.. now you add a 15 year old on PWC that most likely if it is new, is capable of doing at least 40 mph if not 60. not to mention the fact that PWC's are alot smaller and harder to see so if you are riding one, you need to be extra cautious to avoid blind areas and places you can't been seen easily. I can't count the times I've seen PWC riders jumping a wake of the boat ahead of me (or mine) and not paying attention. to whats behind them(me) so i am always on the lookout on the delta for all kinds of dangers.. Again,, I hope she is ok and I am not blaming anyone for the accident because I dont know the specifics. But I can speculate.. 15 yr old on a fast PWC..where are her parents,????.. and add to that a large 35 offshore boat going fast.. hmmmmmm sounds like a dangerous combo.. I have been on the delta on a PWC, I am very comfortable on one and i was VERY nervous/cautious and that was a weekday..

So now we are back to the "boaters education/license issue" I think it should be mandatory. At least a basic one with a test. We have them to drive cars. why not boats.. That and mandatory insurance(liability at least) I have mine..
} my .02..

Sorry to hear someone got hurt. And I might get slammed for this.. but a 15 year old SHOULD NOT }be on a PWC or driving a boat on the delta.. or even a lake for that matter. If she isnt old enough to drive a car why should we let her use a powered vehicle on the water.. The delta is dangerous enough with all the yokels driving around drunk after partying all day.. now you add a 15 year old on PWC that most likely if it is new, is capable of doing at least 40 mph if not 60. not to mention the fact that PWC's are alot smaller and harder to see so if you are riding one, you need to be extra cautious to avoid blind areas and places you can't been seen easily. I can't count the times I've seen PWC riders jumping a wake of the boat ahead of me (or mine) and not paying attention. to whats behind them(me) so i am always on the lookout on the delta for all kinds of dangers.. Again,, I hope she is ok and I am not blaming anyone for the accident because I dont know the specifics. But I can speculate.. 15 yr old on a fast PWC..where are her parents,????.. and add to that a large 35 offshore boat going fast.. hmmmmmm sounds like a dangerous combo.. I have been on the delta on a PWC, I am very comfortable on one and i was VERY nervous/cautious and that was a weekday..

So now we are back to the "boaters education/license issue" I think it should be mandatory. At least a basic one with a test. We have them to drive cars. why not boats.. That and mandatory insurance(liability at least) I have mine..
} my .02..

In Oregon it's illegal for anyone under 16 to drive a PWC alone - I can't imagine that California would differ much from that law, but I couldn't find the website for the CA Marine Board. There's nothing good about what happened. It goes without saying that I hope the girl comes out of it okay, but hopefully her parents are more educated about the issue & learn something from it (I know, not likely - they'll probably just slap a lawsuit on the other boater).

FWIW, I think a mandatory test/license would be a good thing, but better enforcement is needed for it to be effective.

Sounds like the boat driver needs a severe beating if he came into a 5mph area going full speed seems pretty black and white to me. what speed was the jetskier going??

In Ca you need to be at least 16 to operate a powered watercraft or a sail boat over like 20 ft? unsurverviesed, you can be 12 and older if there is someone 18+ ridding with you in the watercraft, just took my boater saftey course, really easy, but its a good review. I think it should be required to at least take the boaters saftey course, if not a license.

CBrown,

I think the boat came in at full speed because they were bringing in the injured girl.

It sounds like no laws were broken, just a dangerous place for a jet ski and a go fast boat endangering everyone because there are no laws to prevent them from doing this.

ofcourse the jet skier might have been the one doing right? Maybe the boater was the one that was breaking laws you never know. Jet skier riding along next thing you know. Bam gets her @SS ran over from behing from a boat doing 60mph. Not defending Jet skiers since I dont like them but we dont know who is too blame here.

"So now we are back to the "boaters education/license issue" I think it should be mandatory"

I'm in total agreement. I think it should be a federal requirement.

Yeah I almost saw the same thing happen at Parker. To 35 foot go fast boats racing and hauling a** on a narrow section. Right in to the blinding afternoon sunset. A stand up jet skier broken down in the niddle of the river, he was laying on it. They missed him by a couple of feet, never saw him until they past by. We were watching in horror. It was like slow motion.

I belive the girl hit the boat. The boat did not hit her. I also was there at the time of the life flight.

Now the post was assuming that the offshore was at fault, do we know this? After all the years on the delta (over 20) And all the weekend wallies the Jet skiers pay attention the least. I know many times I've seen jet skier cut me off, and other boats... I've seen them cut of boats and fall right in front of them.. Not all accidents are due to Jet skier, but my opinion is most accidents jet skiers are in are their fault.

I have to agree with every one here and last season there were many debates on WW threads about manditory boater education courses. In my opinion every one should have a license to drive a boat.

CA state law requires that every one who operates a boat or PWC be over the age of 16. I'm not putting blame on the PWC rider or on the Offshore boat, however I will say that through experience the Offshore boats are two fast and to large to be playing around on the Delta. A few weekends ago we were in a Malibu with a tower, an offshore came up on our tail as we were slowing down to come into a 5mph zone, he lost sight of us and cut his engines thinking we were under him. That went to show me right there how dangerous these boats actually are. Here you have a drive that is about 15 feet above the water but has a 30 foot bow that he can't see over and is doing 90 mph on a narrow body of water! My opinion get them off the Delta I don't see a need for there use out here...way to dangerous!

In regards to the girl who was hurt, I pray that she pulls through!

I disagree with the offshore thing... every sport or hobby has dangers, Most offshore drivers I've ridden with are very carefull and good drivers. Most the time when an offshore passes you with the loud engine, he may seem to be doing 90, but most the time they are only doing 30ish... The size and noise level can be imtimidating for some. There are more bad jet ski drivers and bad wakeboard boat drivers than offshore drivers...

Oh ok my bad in that case we'd best hold off on that beating then
I'm all for boat licensing. In NZ you don't need one, you can just buy a boat (even get toasted) and go drive it. not cool at all in my opinion.
I lived in Melbourne and had to get a licence there... it taught me heaps about what to do and what not to do boating just studying for the licence

(Message edited by powdrhound on March 29, 2004)

So does any one know the details of this accident. I was in Santa Fe (Railroad) Saturday around 3ish and heard sirens like mad....do we know where this happened and the details and the condition of the girl?

im 13 i took the class last year and dont say all PWC drivers are idiots b/c im aa better driver than half the people on my river. i can pull people better than most too

sorry to hear that girl got hurt regarless of the fault.

Age is irrelevant in most boating situations...Capabilities and Experience are the key to safe boating.