2nd Victim Of Jet Ski Accident Dies At Tampa General Hospital

CLEARWATER, FL – A fatal jet ski accident off the Courtney Campbell Causeway Sunday, May 6, has now claimed a second life.

Helen Gore, 41, of Clearwater died Tuesday, May 8, at Tampa General Hospital from injuries sustained when she collided with a jet ski operated by Alberto Portales Fernandez, 42, of Tampa.

Fernandez was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa where he died later that day.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the cause of the accident (see related story).

Personal watercraft are often referred to by the trademarked brand names Jet Ski (a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki), WaveRunner or Sea-Doo.

Originally called water scooters, they were developed in Europe during the 1950s. Those first personal watercraft were ridden in a seated position. Stand-up personal watercraft were first produced by company Kawasaki (under the Jet Ski brand) in 1972.

Personal watercraft rentals are available at nearly every popular beach in Florida. But the Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commission says most of those renting PWCs are inexperienced. In 2016, there were 158 personal watercraft accidents in Florida and 61 percent of the operators had no boater education.

According to the FWC, the overwhelming reason for the personal watercraft accidents was operator inexperience (49). Another 37 accidents in 2016 were attributed to inattention, 24 to recklessness and 16 to excessive speed.

The primary cause of the accidents was a collision with another PWC (67) followed by collision with a fixed object (30).

The majority of injuries were lacerations (35), followed by broken bones (22), contusions (21), head injuries (14) and back injuries (10). Of those 158 accidents, 11 proved fatal.

The age of the operator, said the FWC, doesn't seem to be a factor in personal watercraft accidents. Twenty-four percent were between the age of 36 and 50, 16 percent were age 17 to 21 and 38 percent were age 22 to 35. The fewest accidents involved people over 51 years old (12 percent) and teens younger than 17 (6 percent).

Under Florida law, a person must be at least 14 years old to operate a personal watercraft and must be at least 18 years old to rent a personal watercraft. It's against the law to allow someone under 14 years old to operate a PWC.

While there are no guarantees of avoiding an accident, the FWC says fewer accidents occur when the operator has taken an approved boater safety course offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Image via Coast Guard

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