In Maryland yesterday, diving teams recovered the body of a man who had been killed while participating in a boat race on September 3.
Maryland Natural Resources Police say Paul Henry Sohn had been racing his boat the Jumpin’ Jack Flash in the yearly Ragin’ On the River Powerboat Race on Sunday, when the boat split in half after bouncing off another boat’s wake and launching into the air. His body, recovered at the bottom of the Susquehanna River, was still strapped to the boat. Sohn’s son, 15-year-old Timothy John Sohn, who had also been on the boat at the time of the accident, was able to escape uninjured.
Volunteer dive teams from Hartford, Cecil, and Baltimore counties joined DNR dive teams and emergency crews from the powerboat association to look for Sohn.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, some causes for boating accidents are:
· Operator inattention.
· Faulty equipment.
· Environmental factors.
· Excessive speed.
· Alcohol and drugs.
· Not wearing a life jacket.
· Passenger behavior.
The following boating-related statistics can be found on the Allstate.com website.
Total accidents:
· Open motorboats represent 39% of all reported vessels involved in a boating accident each year, and 47% of those accidents are collisions.
· Personal watercraft (PWCs) represent 30% of all reported vessels involved in a boating accident each year, and 77% of those accidents are collisions. Some PWC collisions involve swimmers and skiers.
Injuries:
· 45% of all boating injuries take place on open motorboats.
· 36% of all boating injuries take place on PWCs.
· Lacerations, broken bones, contusions, and head injuries are the most common injuries on these types of vessels.
Fatalities:
· 51% of fatalities take place on open motorboats, and 54% of those fatalities are drownings.
· 10% of boating fatalities take place on PWCs, and 5% of those fatalities are drownings.
Personal flotation device (PFD) usage:
· PWC users are doing well in terms of reported PFD usage at 91%. Contrast this with open motorboat usage of PFDs reported to be only 20%.
· Since PWC users are required by law to wear a PFD, this may explain why they have a better PFD user rate than motorboat operators. This may also account for the smaller percentage of PWC users who drown: 5% for PWCs compared with a 54% for open motorboats.
Motorboat and PWC risks:
· At 51%, motorboat users have a higher fatality rate than any other vessel on the water.
At 77%, PWC users have a higher collision rate than any other vessel on the water.
If you’ve have suffered an injury or lost a loved one to a boating accident, please contact Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen, by e-mail or toll-free at 1-888-311-HURT (4878) for a free, no obligation consultation. They are experienced personal injury attorneys who can assist you.
Divers Find Body Of Man Killed In Boat Race Crash, ABC2news.com, September 6, 2006
River Is Searched For Racer, Baltimoresun.com, September 5, 2006
Boat Insurance, Allstate.com
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