‘Never Happens’ tells true stories of water tragedies
Submitted by Daingerfield1 on
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has released a sobering video aimed at motivating teens and young adults to follow simple safety guidelines while boating. It debuts in the wake of an unusually high number of drownings and fatal boating accidents across the state in recent weeks.
“The video, ‘Never Happens: True Stories From Texas Boaters and Swimmers,’ is a compelling reminder to be safe on the water by wearing a life jacket, learning to swim and closely supervising children to prevent drowning,” said Tim Spice, TPWD’s boater education manager. “Thanks to the Texas legislature, which mandated the new video and directed that it to be shown in driver education classes, the message will be reaching some 225,000 15- and 16-year-olds annually.”
In the video, which will be shown to all teenagers taking driver education courses, several teenagers who witnessed or survived a boating accident or drowning tell their tragic stories.
A Jet Ski accident changed the life of one of the teenagers in the video, Zack Parker.
“Their jet ski crushed my knee into eight pieces,” recalls Mr. Parker in the video. “Lacerated my spleen, liver and pancreas. My aorta had… torn. I’m alive because I was wearing a life jacket.”
Mr. Parker survived. A friend of Katy Copeland did not.
“They tell you what they did, how hard they tried, and that she just wouldn’t, she just wouldn’t come back,” Mr. Parker said. “And that’s what happened.”
Since May 9, at least 24 people have lost their lives on Texas waters in boating or swimming accidents worked by Texas game wardens, an unusually high number of fatalities.
Last year in Texas, 146 accidents were reported by the U.S. Coast Guard, 31 of which ended with deaths. Statistics show many of these tragedies could have been prevented.
“The Coast Guard says that 90 percent of the people who drowned in a boating related accident would be alive if they had a life jacket on,” Mr. Spice said. “That’s significant.”
To continue reading this article purchase the June 5th edition of The Steel Country Bee or go to our online e-edition at: http://www.etypeservices.com/Daingerfield%20BeeID312/default.aspx
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