powerboat vs sailboat

Someone posted about this same story on catsailor.com. It is proof that the good ole boy network is alive and well. A very sad story indeed with no winners.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sectio ... id=5565603

Thanks for the link, ET. It was very informative.

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Happy Sailing,

David

Very sad. I operated and owned powerboats for years including at night and I could never comprehend the speed at which some people ripped around in the dark. Forgetting other boats for a moment, I guess floating debris and obstacles disappear if you can't see them? This idiot probably would have killed a fisherman or other slower moving powerboat too if it had been in his way. Anyone wanna bet that in one hand was the wheel and in the other was a beer?

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Pete
Reading, PA

Wow. How very frustrating.

As sad as it might be, if a police officer/sheriff is involved in something like this there is a chance that it will be handled very differently than if it was two normal people. I see cops run run lights, speed, and fail to stop as a matter of course - why would they be limited to being above those laws?

In any event, sounds like they have real problems with their case. The lights will probably not go to court with as much conflicting testimony as their appears to be (no help to prosecution). It will probably hinge on alcohol...

Which, if the sailer had his running lights on, didn't really play a roll. Even if he was flat drunk or passed out, that would not have stopped a power boat from running him down from behind at 50 mph. So there is no "but for" causation in the woman's death. His negligence, that of being drunk while operating, did not contribute to her death. Ergo, no case (IMHO).

Isn't the power boat operator guilty of operating at unsafe speeds by virtue of running OVER another boat? If I run my car into a barrier during a snow storm I'm automatically guilty of such. Seems reasonable.

If the blame for each were placed on the scales, I'm thinking they would tilt towards the 50mph vessel that impacted the other from behind. Just a guess.


and, for that matter, charging a man holding the tiller for not having his lights on is pretty weak. If my 7 year old son were holding the tiller as I stood by supervising him, and a power boat run me down at 50mph will he be charged with murder because I failed to flip my light switch?

Strange and crappy deal.

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Proud new owner of a 1991 Hobie 18.