Several recent Florida boat accidents have highlighted the need for boating safety. Four friends, two of them NFL football players, were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico in 7 foot seas when their 21 foot open fisherman overturned. Only of the men, Nick Schuyler, was eventually rescued from the boat after spending close to three days clinging to the hull of the boat.
Meanwhile, in a boat accident on Florida's Lake Okeechobee, a suspected mechanical error caused a boat to travel in circles at approximately 25-30 miles per hour, throwing the driver and two young passengers into the water. The driver and one of the young girls were killed in the accident.
Unfortunately, boating accidents such as these occur too frequently in Florida. Florida has more registered boat owners than any other state, and consequently leads the United States in the number of boating accidents and boating fatalities. However, many of these accidents could be prevented with simple safety precautions.
