Utah exceeds annual average of boating related drownings

SALT LAKE CITY — Boating related drownings in Utah have already exceeded the annual average. So far this year eight people have drowned.

Boating Program Manager for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, Ty Hunter said an average of seven people drown in boating related accidents in Utah each year.

But even one drowning death is too many for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation. 

How does it happen?

“We have numerous incidents of folks that jump off from a boat. Who go swimming and then cannot make it back to the boat. Either they swam too far away, and they can’t get back to the boat or the boat gets blown away from them,” said Hunter. 

And fatalities happen even if the person is considered a ‘good swimmer’, 

“I don’t know how many times we’ve heard. ‘They were such a good swimmer. We don’t understand what happened’,” said Hunter.  

Hunter said even strong experienced swimmers should be wearing a lifejacket when they’re on open water. 

“Open water is a whole different world. There’s wind. There’s no lane lines. There’s no wall close by. There’s no lifeguard.” 

The need for Life jackets 

Recently the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation has seen an increase in the number of people paddleboarding without wearing a lifejacket. 

Hunter said, “Life jackets. They’re great. They’re great to be strapped to your board, you’re fulfilling the law. But it does you no good unless you’re wearing it.”

Hunter says statistically 85% of the open water fatalities in Utah could have had different outcomes if the victims had been wearing lifejackets. 

Children are usually under a mandate to wear life jackets. But, according to Hunter, young children are not the ones causing concern.

“They’re not the ones that are succumbing to open water fatalities,” Hunter said. “The statistics [show] it’s those that are 13 years of age and older that are exempt from mandatory wearing of life jackets.”

Caution urged for the rest of summer

Hunter said eight people have lost their lives in boating related drownings this year, but that number actually had been going down the last couple of years.

He said the number of drownings related to boating accidents, “hit a low the last couple of years — and unfortunately, I think some complacency kind of kicked in.”

And there’s still several weeks before people will stop going out on the water. 

“With Labor Day coming up if we can have this awareness and get this word out as much as possible, I’m hoping that we can have a zero number for this weekend and for many weekends,” said Hunter.

Related:

• Summertime means reminders about life jacket safety 
• Water safety tips to be aware of throughout the summer 
• Man who fell off paddle board at Quail Creek identified

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