Bass Boat Accidents Getting To Familiar

It seems to me to me that in the last couple of years it has become a regularity to hear about bass boat crashes. Reading the bulletins online it a topic that seems to be repeating itself. Well I have a story to add to it. My in-laws were involved in a boating accident recently and I feel I should share that story.

While fishing a tournament out at one of our local lakes my mother and father in law were having a great day on the water. It played out just perfect. Pre-fishing was a success in that they located the bigger bass in late summer. Tournament day started off all to well, they had an early blast off, only person even remotely near their first spot, and they put five in the boat before 10 am. They had about 21 pounds and on this lake is good enough for a check any day of the year. So it comes time to return to weigh ins and they hook up the kill switch, put their life jackets on, and begin the 10 minute ride back. There was a lot of boat traffic on the lake, mostly skiers and jet skies. They were up one of the arms so there was no waves and no wake. To shorten this story up, a wave came out of nowhere at an angle and sent the then traveling 60 mph boat into the air. Landing at an angle they were both thrown from the boat. Mother in law had a broken arm and ribs, and my father in law was nearly knocked unconscious. She was wearing a normal life jacket and floated waiting for another boat to pass meanwhile trying to find her husband. He fought to find his way out of the jacket that had entangled his head and he didn't know up from down in the water. Also the pill in his self inflating life jacket failed to work properly.


Now they were lucky and got a ride back to the ramp, the boat was not hurt at all, they lived, they had life jackets and the kill switch was hooked up. The worst part of the day being they had the winning weight and didn't get to weigh their fish.


90 percent of people involved in accidents on the water and drowned, were not wearing life jackets.

7 out of 10 fatalities are in boats less than 21 feet in length. (most bass boats)

Wear you life jacket even when your not fishing a tournament, and have your kill switch hooked up. Ya just never know.