Virginia Boating Accident On Chesapeake Bay Leaves One Dead

Most boating accidents are avoidable or preventable, at the very least.  So I was surprised to hear that a York County man drowned early Monday morning in  Poquoson, Virginia (VA) after the boat he was in capsized.

According to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission , the victim was duck hunting with another man on the Chesapeake Bay just after 7 a.m. Virginia Marine Police said the accident happened in frigid water and that the victim likely suffered hypothermia.

"It's unfortunate there was no life jacket," A witness said. "Two people on a small boat on a windy day and no life jackets." It just goes to show that you should always exercise caution and use a life jacket, the creek was only about four to four and a half feet deep where the accident happened.

Our thoughts go out to the family I and hope they can recover emotionally from this tragic and fatal boat accident.  There is no news yet as to how the man ended up in the frigid waters, but according to statistics, Virginia's waters are among the most dangerous in the nation--with many personal injuries and even deaths occurring from boats and personal water craft accidents.  In most cases the person who owns the boat would be held responsible if there were any charges filed.

According to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, last year Virginia ranked 19th of the nation's 50 states in the number of registered boats, but Virginia was 12th for the total number of boating accidents. Worse yet, Virginia was 9th of 50 states for total boater deaths/fatalities.  With Virginia's many water ways I hope that safety is better addressed by boaters and local government as well.

CA.