Tragedy occurred near Redington Shores last week when a 14-year-old boy jumped off the back of a speeding motor scooter. His leg entangled with the towrope behind the scooter and doctors had to amputate the leg at the hospital.
The boy was on the back of the scooter while his friend drove it and pulled another boy on a wakeboard. A spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said he jumped off because he thought his friend was driving too fast. The last thing you ever want to do is jump off a speeding water vessel, commented the spokesperson.
There were 671 boating accidents in Florida in 2006, according to the FWC. In those accidents, 69 people lost their lives. Probably due to the warm climate, Florida led the country with 620 boating accidents in 2009.
Inexperienced operators and inexperienced passengers contribute to many watercraft accidents in Florida. The water becomes like pavement when you hit it at a high rate of speed. When a person suffers injuries in the water, it is difficult to swim or even stay afloat.
In the above case, authorities are conducting a criminal investigation. Driving fast may be fun, but it is against the law in Florida to drive a water vessel in a reckless manner.
Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida lawyers