Another lake tragedy

[Ranger375]

Thursday evening on Lake Clinton (Illinois) an 82 year old fisherman was killed and others injured by a pleasure boater driving drunk. Pleasure boater left the scene but was later located by local law enforcement.

The Decatur (IL) paper reported that ponotoon boat with several on board were fishing area close to the marina when at about 9:30 pm when pleasure boat hit anchored pontoon boat. There were 6 people on the pontoon boat and three were transported to Carle Hospital in Urbana and two passengers in the pleasure boat were taken to taken to regional Medical Center.

Please everybody watch out for those who have no regard for the safety of others on the water.

My prayers and sorrow go out to the family of this man. May God's love support them in this time of great sorrow.

[Fishnbuddy]

This happens all too often. That's why I stay off the waterways on the weekends. There are just too many idiots with no regard for anyone else. Why is it people think that being on the water gives them license to do what they would not be allowed to do on land?

[tarfu]

howdy; my 2 cents worth... no white and yellow lines to follow, no signs (stop, yeild etc.), or anything else that would remind them that it's a vehicle that they are operating. tarfu

[Jerry Blake]

We've been keeping an eye out for a body in Hamilton. Feller dropped his drinking buddy off from his pontoon boat about 2:00 Sunday morning and nobody has seen him since. Some fisherman found the pontoon boat going in circles with no one onboard. They had divers out looking for him for a couple days but they don't know where he went in so that's pretty futile in a 7,000 acrle lake. He should come floating up in another day or two unless he's in real deep, cold water - then he may never come up. Only 42-years old - seems like a waste.

[David Waters]

We had a older fella tip over his boat in his private pond yesterday and drown. He and his son were fishing and he leaned over to lip the fish and dumped the flatbottom over. His son couldn't get to him in time.

[Mike Sutton]

I think I'm going to put my life jacket the next time I go fishing. I've been thinking about it and have one that's comfortable. It's too easy to do something stupid myself, let along get hit by someone else.

[scrap]

I fish this lake and it is out of control on the weekends. I am sure there are many others around that are just as bad. My prayers go out to the fishermans family.

[Moose1am]

I wear my life jacket all the time. And this is the main reason I put it on everytime I get in the boat. I use to be one of those scuba divers that went looking for drowning victims and I hope to not ever become one of them. Can I swim? Sure like a fish but I can't even hold my head out of the water if I get knocked overboard by some drunk boat driver going 30 mph into my boat. If you fall out of a boat and hit your head on anything (side of the boat, submerged tree just under the water's surface) there is that possiblity that you may get knocked out or break your neck where you can't move your arms or legs.


I was reading a thread on www.fishin.com in the IN discussion forums and some of the guys were saying that in IN after dark you can only go at IDLE speed? I have never heard of that law before. Maybe it's a new law that was just passed in IN or maybe it's been around for a while and I just didn't know about it. But it does make sense to go slow after dark. And it's a good reason to leave your running and Stern light on at night.

I feel sorry for the family members that are waiting to see how their loved one's will make out in the hospital. Hope they are not injured too badly.

They make life jackets now that are very comfortable and some will only inflate if you get in the water or pull a rope to manually inflate them with a CO2 gas cartridge. They cost about 100 bucks whick is worth every penny when you need it.

I think I'm going to put my life jacket the next time I go fishing. I've been thinking about it and have one that's comfortable. It's too easy to do something stupid myself, let along get hit by someone else.

[Moose1am]

I hate to see this happen. I bet it's hard to fish that lake knowing that at anytime you might run into this guys body.

We've been keeping an eye out for a body in Hamilton. Feller dropped his drinking buddy off from his pontoon boat about 2:00 Sunday morning and nobody has seen him since. Some fisherman found the pontoon boat going in circles with no one onboard. They had divers out looking for him for a couple days but they don't know where he went in so that's pretty futile in a 7,000 acrle lake. He should come floating up in another day or two unless he's in real deep, cold water - then he may never come up. Only 42-years old - seems like a waste.

[PanMan_VA]

I think I'm going to put my life jacket the next time I go fishing. I've been thinking about it and have one that's comfortable. It's too easy to do something stupid myself, let along get hit by someone else.

My wife bought a Mustang Airforce PFD for me this spring. I fish alone often and would not be able to reach into a moving boat to grap a cushion of PFD if I fell out. The Mustang is comfortable to wear (even in hot weather). I wear it every minute I'm on the water. It is expensive, but I'm worth it. :D