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Old 02-21-2006, 09:09 PM   #39
Fat Jack
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Quote:
Originally Posted by overlook
If an operater takes for an example a 15' bowrider with a 45hp outboard and at WOTcuts the steering, causing the bow to dig in. The boat can flip over or through an occupant out causing injury. Speed related accident....
But in fact this almost perfectly describes the Fountain accident in Alton in '04 and the Donzi fatal accident in Wolfeboro in '98, except that both of those occured while turning too sharply at over 70MPH and, contrary to your prediction, neither was classified as speed related... both "operator error" only according to MP records...no mention of speed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by overlook
At night if somone was to come in to Rattlsnake Island and miss judge the location of the dock, crashing into rocks because they were traveling above visability and injury resulted. Speed related accidend.
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But in fact this almost perfectly describes the boat crashing into and almost jumping Eagle Island one night in '01, except he was going "extemely fast" according to the patrolman on the scene when he initially talked to reporters. But, again contrary to your prediction, the final MP record shows "reckless operation" as the only cause...no mention of speed.

Now here's a better theoretical example;
We have a 25MPH nighttime speed limit. A boat going 28 runs into another boat and kills some poor old guy who is just out minding his own business. The striking boat's operator gets caught and admits he was going 28MPH, over the speed limit. He is charged for speeding, AND his civil liability is huge because he killed the victim while commiting a crime. He goes to jail for more than a year, and gets appropriately whacked in the civil trial.
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