Articles Posted in Boating Accidents

The Maryland Natural Resources Police have had to turn their attention to local waters where a number of boating accidents have recently taken place.

On June 18, In St. Clement Bay near St. Clement Shores, a 10-year-old boy was injured in the head when an 18-foot boat hit a pound net. The child was flown to Washington DC and treated at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center.

Just one day earlier, the NRP recovered the bodies of two men from the Potomac River. They had died in a boating accident on June 16. Their boat had been found without anyone on board just south of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. A third person who survived the accident was taken to a hospital for treatment. The NRP is investigating the cause of the accident.

As the boating season begins on Maryland’s waters this year, Maryland National Resources Police (NRP) have been working hard to educate people on practicing boating safety. Over Memorial Weekend, more than 16,000 boaters were checked by the NRP who issued 504 citations and 1846 warnings. They also held a National Boating Safety Week last month to promote safety precautions on a boat.

More than a dozen people die in Maryland each year due to boating-related accidents. In 2005, 14 people died and over 128 people were injured while riding a boat.

Nationally, in 2002, there were almost 6,000 boating accidents that led to 750 fatalities, over 4000 injuries, and over 39 million dollars in property damages.