Inattention is the leading cause of boat accidents

PORT CLINTON – Ottawa County waters had the second greatest number of boating accidents in the state last year, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The county also led the state that year in a specific category: deaths as the result of boating accidents.

The four deaths in Ottawa County were among the state’s 22 boating accident deaths in 2014. All of those deaths resulted from the same incident, the county’s first boating accident of 2014, of which details largely remain a mystery.

The four victims, Andrew Rose, 33, of Maumee; Bryan Huff, 32, of Rossford; Huff’s girlfriend, Amy Santus, 33, of Perrysburg; and Santus’ niece, Paige Widmer, 16, who was visiting from South Carolina on spring break, left Turtle Point Marina at Locust Point in Huff’s boat on April 16 to fish around South Bass Island.

They sent cellphone messages, including photos of the fish they caught, to family and friends, with the last received around 6:35 p.m. But they never returned that evening and were never heard from again.

The next day, authorities found their partially submerged boat a few miles from the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. Later that day, they found Santus’ and Widmer’s bodies near Locust Point. Although they were wearing life jackets, the cause of death was drowning, according to the coroner.

Rose and Huff were not found until around three weeks later, both without life jackets, and their deaths also were ruled drownings.

An investigation revealed no maintenance problems with the motor and the boat was discovered with minimal damage. It is still unknown what caused the vessel to overturn. Alcohol was not considered a factor.

Despite that incident, officials are able to determine the cause of the vast majority of boating accidents. Operator inattention and operator inexperience either caused or were contributing factors in 10 of the 14 Ottawa County boat mishaps.

That data concurs with the experience of Walter Hodgkiss, an education specialist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Watercraft.

“A lot of times, if you look at these accidents, they can go back to one of those three things or combination of all three,” Hodgkiss said, “boater education or operator inexperience, alcohol use, or not wearing your life jacket.”

One of the best ways to promote boater education, even for older boaters for whom classes are not required, is to get the whole family involved, Watercraft Officer Jeff Keller said.

People born after 1981 are required to take a boating course before legally operating a marine vessel in Ohio.

“You run into a lot of people that say, ‘Oh, well I’m born before that date, so it doesn’t apply to me,’ ” Keller said. “But they have kids that it does, so we try to encourage them to take it as a family.”

That allows for even the more experienced boaters to get a refresher course on the latest boating laws and safety standards while their children can learn the basics.

Another common cause of accidents, especially those with some of the largest monetary losses, were submerged dangers to the boat, such as rocks and dredge lines.

In by far the state’s most expensive boating accident of last year, a vessel struck a submerged hazard left behind from a construction project west of Cedar Point Marina, causing $480,000 in damages. The vessel was a total loss, sustaining severe hull, shaft, strut and prop damage.

Hodgkiss recommended staying up to date and knowing your area of operation to avoid those kinds of submerged dangers.

“Ask other experienced boaters,” he said. “We’re really lucky in our area. We do have a lot of experience out there on the water with all of the charter captains. If you don’t know, ask questions. It is a changing environment.”

One of the common causes of the comparatively less expensive accidents is swamping, which occurs when a boat takes on too much water, but not to the point of capsizing or flipping over.

To avoid swamping, Hodgkiss said to check the weather and take the appropriately sized vessel out for Lake Erie.

“Obviously, Lake Erie is a big difference from inland waterways we have,” he said.

Some other common causes of swamping are overloading boats with too many people, considering all of the gear on board, as well as the mistake of anchoring from the stern instead of the bow.

Another major concern with swamping, and any Lake Erie boating accidents where a victim goes overboard, is cold water.

“Our big message from the Division of Watercraft is: You want to dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature,” Hodgkiss said.

Hodgkiss teaches the “1-10-1 Rule” of boating safety.

“You fall in the cold water, the first minute try to get your breathing under control,” he said. “Don’t panic, keep your head above water, then you’ve got 10 minutes to do any meaningful activity.”

That includes things such as reboarding the vessel, putting on a life jacket, or shooting off a flare. The last “1” of the rule refers to the one hour you can survive in the cold water before death from hypothermia, and that’s only if you are wearing a life jacket.

In early May of last year, two people were hospitalized and treated for hypothermia after their vessel was swamped in the Sandusky River. It was one of only two boating accidents in Sandusky County that year.

“As the water gets colder, the key safety concern would be wearing your life jacket out there, even if you’re a good swimmer,” Hodgkiss said.

Fires also are a major concern for boaters.

“There are a couple of safety equipment items that we always check for,” Keller said about avoiding boat fires. “That’s your backfire flame arrestor and your blowers on your inboard vessels. Make sure that they’re in operative form.”

Most boat explosions are caused by fuel vapors in the bilges that end up ignited by a spark.

“Blower hoses get old, they crack, they can become disconnected,” he said. “Even just hearing your blower motor on, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s moving air through your bilges.”

Regular maintenance, which Keller said includes physically checking to ensure everything is properly attached, is the best way to avoid that problem.

Hodgkiss encouraged all boaters to get their vessels checked for safety once a year. He said you can wave down any of the ODNR trucks or boats and they will be glad to assist, answer any questions or perform a check.

“Then you have the peace of mind knowing you’re being safe out there,” he said.

jstinchcom@gannett.com

419-734-7504

Twitter: @JonDBN