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Sanford man dies in personal watercraft
accident
April 25, 2007
Contact: Lt. Kat Kelley, (352) 427-6728
A Sanford man died Tuesday afternoon when his
personal watercraft collided with another operated by a friend
in the St. Johns River.
Christopher J. Lydon, 46, died from injuries he
received in the accident. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) investigators, the accident
occurred at 3:30 p.m. near Channel Marker 93. After the
collision, the operator of the other personal watercraft,
Christopher Hunt, 37, and his passenger, Jennifer Smith, 26,
both of Sanford, immediately began to assist Lydon. Hunt swam to
his friend while Smith called 911. Passing boaters assisted them
in getting Lydon to Lake Monroe Wayside Park, where Sanford
Emergency Medical Service workers met them. Lydon was pronounced
dead at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the
FWC.
The fatality adds to the already-staggering
count of Florida boating accidents. This year is on a pace to be
one of the deadliest for boating accidents in the past 15 years,
according to FWC boating law administrator Capt. Richard Moore.
The primary cause of accidents is driver
inattentiveness, according to reports.
"We have to find a way to convince more boaters
that boating safety is a critical part of being on the water,”
Moore said. "Twenty-five people have died in boating accidents
so far this year, and that is 25 too many.”
In addition to the 25 confirmed deaths, two
persons are missing and presumed dead.
Moore emphasized the importance of incorporating
two simple practices to reduce accidents on Florida’s waterways.
"Most accidents are preventable if boaters pay
close attention to their surroundings and stay alert, and most
drownings are preventable if people wear their life jackets,”
Moore said.
Col. Julie Jones, director of the FWC’s Division
of Law Enforcement, said FWC officers will be on the water
throughout Florida during the boating season.
"FWC officers will be patrolling and watching
for unsafe vessel operation, and they will be enforcing boating
safety laws,” she said. "We’ll do our part to reverse this
accident trend, but the real solution lies with boaters.”
Jones also encouraged boaters to take a
safe-boating course by logging onto to MyFWC.com and clicking
the "Boating Safety” link. |
