One man is dead and three others are missing after four separate boating accidents occurred in South Louisiana over the weekend, according to the Associated Press.
William Smith Jr., 56, died after he jumped off his party barge into the Amite River Diversion Canal on Saturday, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jason Ard told the Associated Press.
A 7-year-old boy and two other adults have also gone missing in unrelated boat accidents.
Many of us will celebrate July 4 on the beautiful rivers and lakes that contribute to Louisiana’s reputation as the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”
America’s Independence Day should be spent feasting on barbecue or hitting a game-winning home run against the neighborhood kids – not in mourning over the loss of loved one in what could be a preventable boating accident.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, one-third of boating fatalities involve alcohol. While taking a chest of beer out on a boat or innertube is a traditional pastime in South Louisiana, one should be cautious of the danger when these activities are mixed.
If alcohol and boats must be part of your celebration, take a boat ride out to a camp or an island for a party. According to US Coar Guard, alcohol use was either a direct or indirect contributing factor in approximately one-quarter of all boating fatalities in 2005.
Currents are another danger. Former LSU defensive lineman Marquise Hill died May 28 in a jetski accident on Lake Ponchatrain.
Hill, who had not been consuming alcohol, was swept away by swift currents that certain portions of the lake create. He was not wearing a life jacket.
The University, the city of New Orleans and the New England Patriots lost a valuable and member of its community.
According to the Coast Guard, 87 percent of all drowning victims in 2005 were not wearing life jackets. Use common sense. Wear a life jacket.
Take advantage of this holiday and commemorate the men and women of the past and present that have made July 4 not only a possibility but a reality.
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