On the 24th of June 2012 at approximately 12:00 pm operator was operating a Personal Watercraft (PWC) in the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish.  Operator had one passenger onboard.  Investigation revealed that the PWC was traveling north in the Vermilion River and approached the bridge at Ambassador Caffery Parkway.  Operator let off of the throttle when he realized that his vessel was traveling too fast to negotiate through the Ambassador Caffery bridge pilings.  When Operator released the throttle, he lost steering of the vessel and collided with a cement bridge piling on the west side of the Vermilion River. The collision caused Operator to be thrown forward into the handlebars before being thrown from the PWC into the water.  Operator sustained bruising to his abdomen from the crash.  The impact caused Occupant to be tossed into Operator before he was also tossed into the water.  Occupant sustained injuries to his abdomen that required medical treatment.  Investigation determined that both passengers on the PWC were wearing personal flotation devices and Operator was wearing the kill switch for the vessel.  Alcohol is not suspected to be involved in the incident.  Off Throttle Steering Loss is believed to be the primary cause of the incident.  Operator Inexperience and Careless Operation were also found to be contributing factors to the collision.  operator had not completed a Boating Safety Education Course.
Lafayette                     