2 More Night-time Boating Deaths on Lake Murray
I don't like to have to report this in my blog, but, I feel it's necessary as a reminder to others that boat on Lake Murray, especially for night-time boating. Certainly, we extend condolences to family and friends, but, this should be another alert related to boating safety on the lake, particularly for boating at night.
NEWS ARTICLE: July 22nd Boating Accident at Lake Murray Kills Two People
This past Friday night, two people were killed at approximately 10:30 p.m. after their boat hit a dock extending 60 feet into the water at a residential home near Billy Dreher Island. This is a typical boat dock length as most docks on Lake Murray are in the 50 to 75 feet length range. If the information in the news article is correct, the boat driver hit the dock 12 feet from the shoreline. The causes may well be at least inattention and excessive speed. The investigation is still ongoing.
Last year (May 1st), two separate boating accidents within one mile and 30 minutes of each other killed four people. Alcohol was involved in both of these accidents. At this point, there have now been 6 boating deaths at Lake Murray within a 14 month period.
The legal minimum distance for boaters to have NO WAKE from docks, the shoreline, other boats and swimmers is 50 feet. Boaters should know that they should actually have more distance than this -- many states have much higher minimum distances and this state should also increase this distance to at least 75 feet or 100 feet. I see this 50 feet no wake minimum distance violated all the time at my lakeside home dock (even with a posted sign).
Boating Safety Reminders:
- No BUI (Boating Under the Influence)
- SLOWER speeds at night
- Night-time boating requires even more attention than normal
- Maintain very safe distances from shoreline and docks
NEXT Blog Article: Mel's NEW Boating Safety Page
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