ON 5/7/11, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00AM, A BOATING ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON LAKE NORMAN IN MOORESVILLE.  THE VESSEL WAS AN 11 FT SEADOO WITH A 130HP JET DRIVE.  IT WAS OWNED AND BEING OPERATED BY a person WHO LIVES on the lake.  HIS FRIEND, WAS A PASSENGER SITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND HIM.  Passenger WAS THROWN FROM THE PWC AFTER THE VESSEL TURNED SHARPLY TO THE STARBOARD SIDE.

THE TWO MEN WERE RIDING THE PWC WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED YARDS OF OPERATOR'S RESIDENCE.  THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY WITH LITTLE TO NO WAVES.  BOTH MEN ESTIMATED THAT THE PWC WAS TRAVELING AT NEARLY 30 MPH.  OPERATOR MADE A HARD TURN TO THE STARBOARD SIDE, THROWING PASSENGER OFF THE PORT SIDE AND INTO THE WATER.  PASSENGER FELL FORCEFULLY ON HIS LEFT SIDE.  HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER FOR TREATMENT.  HE SUSTAINED 3 BROKEN RIBS AND A SLIGHTLY BRUISED LUNG AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT.  THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE PWC, AND BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE WEARING A COAST GUARD PFD.  ALCOHOL WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT.

I DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE PWC TURNED HARD TO THE STARBOARD SIDE, PASSENGER WOULD HAVE BEEN LEANING TOWARDS THE PORT SIDE GOING AGAINST THE NATURAL GRAVITATION OF THE VESSEL.  AS THE VESSEL NATURALLY TILTED IN THE DIRECTION IT WAS BEING STEERED, PASSENGER WAS RESISTING BY LEANING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.  THIS RESULTED IN HIS EJECTION FROM THE SEAT AND BEING THROWN INTO THE WATER OFF THE PORT SIDE.  AS A RESULT, HE LANDED HARD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS TORSO BREAKING 3 RIBS WHICH IN TURN BRUISED HIS LUNG.  NO ONE WAS ISSUED A CITATION, AS THERE WAS NO UNLAWFUL ACTIONS THAT CAUSED THIS ACCIDENT.  NO WITNESSES WERE AVAILABLE.

MOORESVILLE                   