Personal Watercraft Users Urged To Observe State Boating Rules For Safety Sake
Death of NFL Player Calls Attention To Personal Watercraft Safety

COLUMBUS, OH - The May 27 death of professional football player Marquise Hill on Louisiana’s Lake Ponchartrain reminds all boaters to follow state boating rules when riding on jet-propelled personal watercraft.

Although friends described the 24-year-old defensive end as a strong swimmer, he apparently drowned after falling off a Jet Ski and suffering a concussion. He was Jet Skiing after sunset and was not wearing a life jacket both violations of Louisiana boating rules.

“This unfortunate fatal incident underscores our message that safety begins with the choices boaters make before leaving the dock,” said Michael Quinn, acting chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft. “Failing to observe state boating rules contributed to the death of this gifted young athlete.”

Many states, including Ohio, require that any person regardless of age must properly wear a U.S. Coast-Guard approved life jacket or vest when riding a personal watercraft. Ohio law also prohibits operating personal watercraft between sunset and sunrise.

In Ohio, children under age 12 may not operate a personal watercraft, but may ride on one as a passenger. Children ages 12 through 15, who have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course, may operate a personal watercraft only under the direct supervision of a person 18 years of age or older who also has completed a boating safety course and is aboard the watercraft. Children ages 16 and older, who have completed a boater education course, may operate a personal watercraft without supervision.

Ohio law requires any person born on or after January 1, 1982 to be able to show proof they have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course before operating any powered watercraft of more than 10 horsepower. The mandatory boater education law also includes anyone born on or after January 1, 1982, who supervises a personal watercraft operator age 15 and under.

In 2006, Ohio reported 14 personal watercraft injury accidents with no fatalities. The last boating-related fatality in Ohio involving a personal watercraft occurred in May 2002 when a male teenager sustained fatal injuries after the Jet Ski he was operating collided head-on with another Jet Ski. According to the ODNR Division of Watercraft, injury accidents involving personal watercraft have declined more than 60 percent since 2002 largely because of existing state boating rules and increased awareness of boating safety practices.

Additional information on boating rules, requirements, education courses and other boating programs is available online at ohiodnr.com and by calling the Division of Watercraft toll free at 877-4BOATER.