On 10/25/09, I Conservation Officer was contacted by Dispatch and informed of a personal watercraft accident that had occurred on the Maumee River in Allen County.  I was able to depart for the accident scene at approximately 1730, and arrived on scene at approximately 1800.  Already at the scene were Indiana Conservation Officer District 2 Lieutenant, Indiana Conservation Officer  1, Indiana Conservation Officer Investigation Section Sgt. 1, the Fort Wayne City Police Department, Fort Wayne Fire and Rescue, and the Allen County Coroner.  When I arrived on scene, I was informed that the victim, Victim 1 and his friend, Operator 2 were riding their jet skis down the Maumee River.  Victim 1 was riding about 40 yards ahead of Operator 2, and attempted to pass under the Tecumseh Street bridge.  As Victim 1passed under the bridge traveling 30 to 40 miles per hour, he hit a steel cable that the Pioneer Associates construction crew had left strung between the pillars of the bridge 34.5 inches above the surface of the water.  He was flipped off of the jet ski and fell into the water.  He died instantly from the trauma of the cable hitting his neck. 
      I then got into a boat with the Ft. Wayne Fire Department and the Allen County Coroner’s Office and went to the center bay of the three bay bridge where the accident happened.  We could see nothing in the water, on the cable, or on the front of the bridge that marked the area as a construction zone, or the cable as being a hazard.  We were able to identify exactly where Victim 1hit the cable by a piece of blue cloth from his life jacket that was stuck on the cable.  We measured from the surface of the water to the cable, and got a reading of 34.5 inches.  Deputy Coroner took several pictures of the bridge, and the cable.  There were also cables strung across the bay to the north, that had a barge tied to it, and a second cable in the middle bay, that was mostly under water, and out of the way of the jet skis.  The only bay that did not have a cable was the South Bay, but that bay was partially blocked by a floating log, and would appear to be unpassable to boaters. We marked the cable with several pieces of white cloth to prevent any further accidents that night, and returned to shore.  The fire department then towed the jet ski that Victim 1was riding back to the Johnny Appleseed Park Boat Ramp, where his truck was parked.  The jet ski was loaded onto the trailer, and hooked to Lt. 1's truck, and then taken to the District 2 post and locked inside.   Operator 2 was interviewed at the scene by Detective Sgt. 1, then escorted by Officer 1 back to Albion to make the notification of death to Victim 1's wife.  
     Sgt. 1 and I went to the residence of Witness 1 and Witness 2, who were on a putting green next to the river, and witnessed the accident.  They said that they had looked at the construction on the bridge and discussed it before the jet skis came down the river, and never saw the cables strung across the water.  They said that the cables were not marked in any way.   They said that they were putting and heard the two men coming down the river.  They turned to see what was coming, and watched Victim 1drive into the cable.  Witness 2 said that she heard the sound of something getting tight, like a twang, and saw Victim 1flip backward off of the jet ski and land face down in the water.  She said that Operator 2 then stopped and pulled up beside Victim 1and pulled him to shore.  She then ran to a STS Security car that was parked on top of the bridge and used his phone to call 911.  She said that emergency personnel arrived within 5 minutes of her making the call.  Witness 1 said that he ran down to the bank where Operator 2 and Victim 1were, and held on to Operator 2 as he tried to pull Victim 1onto the steep bank.  Victim 1was already deceased
Fort Wayne                    