Following a tragic boating incident on the Suncoast, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are sharing tips on how to say safe on the water.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the victim, this is a terrible tragedy,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Public Information Officer, Adam Brown.
Florida Fish and Wildlife PIO, Adam Brown says a child was fatally injured when two boats participating in a Sarasota Youth Sailing Club practice collided Saturday morning.
The incident caused the closure of the John Ringling Causeway Bridge for about an hour.
Brown says in general it is important to always pay close attention
“To your surroundings, your own vessel, as well as the vessels around you. A lot can happen on the water pretty quickly, vessels can come up from behind you, from the right, or from the left so you need to make sure that you are avoiding distractions such as cell phones or GPS, sometimes even people on your own vessel can distract you so making sure that your main focus is on operating your vessel safely,” said Brown
Brown recommends educating yourself before heading out on the water
“To the area that you’re in, as well as your own specific boat and certainly the general navigation rules, and there are a lot of different websites that offer education and we certainly suggest everyone take a boater education course it’s highly instructive and can certainly save lives,” said Brown.
Brown says in general when having children on board, you certainly need to keep a close eye on them
“Maybe even have a designated seat, children don’t like to stay in one place, they like to move around and there are no seatbelts on a boat so you just need to make sure that they are staying still while the boat is in motion, that they are wearing a life jacket if they are under the age of six and that they certainly know the rules of your boat, they are following your protocol to keep them safe,” said Brown
FWC is asking for anyone with information on the tragic accident from this weekend to call their Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922.
