You could say "use it or lose it" here also: these things are like snowmobiles, a real menace in the way they are operated by people who have no business charging around without some safety instruction first:

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Watercraft worries climb
Inexperience often behind injuries, deaths on water

By Cathy Logg, Herald Writer

Peri-Lyn Johnson of Snohomish was driving her boat on Flowing Lake Aug. 13 when a boy flagged her down. The boy, 13, and a woman, both on Jet Ski-type watercraft, had collided. The boy was not injured, but the woman was facedown in the water. Johnson directed Snohomish High School students Josh Foust, 16, and Jon Richter, 15, to jump from her boat and rescue the unconscious woman. The boys and Johnson got her into the boat and rushed toward shore.

"She had an enormous gash over her eye," Johnson recalled. "Her shoulder was also dislocated." Johnson's husband, Mark, began administering first aid. The accident victim, Rebecca Oropeza, 48, of Lynnwood has been at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle since the accident. "Her life will never be the same," Johnson said. Oropeza was one of three Snohomish County residents seriously injured or killed in recent personal watercraft accidents.

Edward Ferguson, 45, of Everett died about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 14 when he struck an overhanging limb in darkness on the Snohomish River. His funeral was Aug. 19. And a 10-year-old Mukilteo girl lost her arm in an accident on Lake Goodwin.

According to state records, there about 26,000 personal watercraft licensed in the state in 2004, representing about 10 percent of all recreational boats. "That's just the ones that have registered," said Mark Kenny, coordinator of the state Parks and Recreation Commission's marine law enforcement unit. "Personal watercraft appeal to a wide number of people, not just young people who cowboy around," he added.

Considered the motorcycles of the waterways, personal watercraft are fast and fun, but too often are seen as water toys instead of motorized vessels that can cause serious injury and death. They're the only watercraft whose operators are required to be at least 14 years old in Washington state, but many underage youths, including two in the recent accidents, drive them anyway.

Between 1996 and 2002, all but two of those younger than 14 involved in boating accidents statewide were aboard personal watercraft, parks records say. During that period, the most common marine accident involved a personal watercraft or open motorboat shorter than 21 feet.

Authorities say that as state waters become more crowded with such watercraft, it's critical for their operators to know the vessels and their characteristics, as well as boating regulations, and to follow them.

Jet Skis and similar watercraft have grown in popularity because they are less expensive than conventional boats and are more versatile. While early models in the mid- to late-1980s were noisy and made for single riders, newer models are up to 12 feet long, can carry four people, have quieter engines and don't pollute. But they're technically a boat, and all state and federal boating regulations apply to them.

"Because people tend to view them as water toys and not as boats, they just go play with them and don't take the time to familiarize themselves with the machines and the characteristics," Snohomish County sheriff's Lt. Rodney Rochon said.

On Aug. 14, three middle school students were aboard a personal watercraft on Lake Goodwin near Lakewood, with a 13-year-old driving. A 10-year-old Mukilteo girl fell off, and her arm tangled in a rope used to pull skiers or inner tubes. The rope tightened and severed the girl's arm at the elbow. She is recovering and has subsequently been released from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Her name has not been released under federal privacy laws.

In the Flowing Lake crash, Oropeza's niece, Angela Smith, was on duty at the north county emergency dispatch center when she learned that Oropeza had been injured. Smith heard the dispatch for an airlift helicopter. "It was really awful, knowing how a lot of these calls end," Smith said. "An airlift isn't a good thing." Oropeza suffered broken ribs, a broken back, a fractured skull, internal bleeding and several ruptured or lacerated organs. Originally listed in critical condition, she is now in satisfactory condition. She is unable to breathe on her own, family members said. She's sedated and confused, so her family doesn't know what she remembers of the accident. "This is so strange. You're just out there having fun, and boom," said her sister, Kathy Scott of Oroville.

"Personal watercraft are boats; they're very powerful and very fast," Rochon said. "Because of their handling characteristics, you can get into trouble very easily and very quickly."

Even officers aren't immune to accidents. About 10 years ago, Lake Stevens police Sgt. Ron Brooks was on patrol on a personal watercraft. Another boater who was traveling too fast struck Brooks' craft, cracking its hull and knocking him into the water, Chief Randy Celori said. Brooks suffered broken ribs and missed several months of work. Rochon said the woman in that accident had only had her watercraft for a couple of hours, hadn't bothered to read the instruction manual and thought she'd be fine because she'd ridden one before.

Some riders get into trouble while being playful or because they don't know the "rules of the road" on the water. Many personal watercraft riders like to get close to boats to use their wakes for jumping, Celori said. "That's very dangerous, especially when the water is heavily populated with other boats," he said. "On a warm summer day, you'll have in excess of maybe 100 vessels" on Lake Stevens.

People also are unaware of how fast personal watercraft can go and may not realize that not all life jackets are rated for 60 to 70 mph, Celori said. At high speeds, some life jackets can be torn off as boaters hit the water. Many riders also aren't aware they can lose control of a watercraft when the throttle is released. "You reduce throttle and power out of a problem. If you completely cut the power, you have no forward thrust and no steerage," Kenny said.

"Experience is a great teacher in this. All too often, we see these accidents are the result of inexperienced operators riding a personal watercraft and not recognizing this until it's too late." People who think they're experienced because they've handled other boats don't necessarily know how to operate a personal watercraft, Rochon said.

Similarly, they may have operated boats after dark but aren't safe operating personal watercraft at night. "We were investigating the case on Lake Goodwin, and it was dark, and we still saw personal watercraft heading across the lake," Rochon said.

Another problem is operating them in hazardous areas. In Ferguson's nighttime accident, Everett police initially thought he had struck a submerged object in the water, Lt. Ted Olafson said. "There's quite a number of logs and debris and things in the water and floating down the river," he said.

Steps are being taken to improve the safety of personal watercraft. In its last session, the state Legislature mandated boating safety education for those 20 and younger beginning Jan. 1, 2008.

"We're using the time between now and the implementation of that law as a kind of grace period, but when that law goes into effect, there's going to be no excuse. They will be cited," Rochon said. He added that marine officers hand out pamphlets, and regulations are posted, but people don't read them. "We have the regulations to prevent a lot of problems already in place," Rochon said. "It's just that people have to abide by them."