04-26-2011, 06:10 PM
A 49-year-old man drowned last Wednesday when the boat he was on began to take on water and sank near South Cove on the Arizona side of Lake Mead.
There are very few details available at this time, but according to reports from National Park Service rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA), a vessel on Lake Mead began to take water over the bow during a high wind event and swamped.
A family of four was on the boat at the time of the incident at sunset on Wednesday. Other boaters found the overturned vessel, wife and two children, a six and three-year-old, all safe on the banks of the lake the next morning. They were all found wearing life jackets. The man's body was recovered that same morning north of South Cove; he was not wearing a life jacket.
"While this story does have a tragic ending, the good news is that the family's decision to wear life jackets saved three lives, clearly this could have been much worse." said Kevin Bergersen, Arizona Game and Fish boating law administrator. 'With the new technologies available, wearing a life jacket is a much more comfortable experience. A life jacket you wear is a life jacket that saves your life."
As summer approaches and warmer weather gets more boaters on the water, Game and Fish reminds everyone to wear a life jacket and to not drink and operate a boat. OUI laws on the water are just as strict as DUI laws on land.
"Game and Fish wants your boating outing to be safe for everyone on the water," said Bergersen. "Wearing life jackets and having a sober skipper are two steps in the right direction, to make sure everyone comes home safely."
Remember, Boat Safe, Boat Smart, Boat Sober. For more information on boating safety, equipment and boating safety classes, go to www.azgfd.gov/boating.
Media Contact
Jim Harken (623) 236-7223<br />
Public Information Officer, AZGFD
There are very few details available at this time, but according to reports from National Park Service rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA), a vessel on Lake Mead began to take water over the bow during a high wind event and swamped.
A family of four was on the boat at the time of the incident at sunset on Wednesday. Other boaters found the overturned vessel, wife and two children, a six and three-year-old, all safe on the banks of the lake the next morning. They were all found wearing life jackets. The man's body was recovered that same morning north of South Cove; he was not wearing a life jacket.
"While this story does have a tragic ending, the good news is that the family's decision to wear life jackets saved three lives, clearly this could have been much worse." said Kevin Bergersen, Arizona Game and Fish boating law administrator. 'With the new technologies available, wearing a life jacket is a much more comfortable experience. A life jacket you wear is a life jacket that saves your life."
As summer approaches and warmer weather gets more boaters on the water, Game and Fish reminds everyone to wear a life jacket and to not drink and operate a boat. OUI laws on the water are just as strict as DUI laws on land.
"Game and Fish wants your boating outing to be safe for everyone on the water," said Bergersen. "Wearing life jackets and having a sober skipper are two steps in the right direction, to make sure everyone comes home safely."
Remember, Boat Safe, Boat Smart, Boat Sober. For more information on boating safety, equipment and boating safety classes, go to www.azgfd.gov/boating.
Media Contact
Jim Harken (623) 236-7223<br />
Public Information Officer, AZGFD