On this day, there was a single vessel (V1) boating incident involving a PWC with remote steering and Jet drive motor.  The operator was headed from east to west when he struck a fixed piling.  The piling struck was part of an airport runway marker that extends into Lake Pontchartrain. 

Operator1 stated he was headed back to the Seabrook boat launch at the time of the incident.  Operator also stated that he was on step, going about 45MPH as he tried to go under this structure when he struck the piling.  When Operator struck the piling bow first, he was thrown from the PWC.  At the scene there were no signs of alcohol use, and while Cpl was with Operator at the LCMC Hospital, there were no signs of alcohol use.  Operator sustained a couple injures due to the accident, he had broken his pelvic bone and had a lip laceration to his face.   

It is believed that the primary cause of this incident is the careless operation of the vessel near a fixed object.  This careless act was also a violation of rule number 16 of rules of the road when operating a vessel.  Rule 16 of the Rules of the road for vessel stats that, All vessels shall be operated at reasonable speeds for given conditions and situations and must be under the complete control of the operator at all times.  Being that the object struck, was a fixed object and part of a structure, Operator should have slowed down.  It is also possible that there was a motor malfunction resulting in Fault of Machinery.  When Coast Guard was on scene, the subject was wearing his type III PFD and the kill lanyard was worn.

File number with LDWF is 2023 - 015705

LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
NEW ORLEANS                   