Jose Fernandez’s Death Brings Boating Safety to Light

September 26 was a sad day not only for Florida Marlins fans but for all baseball fans worldwide. Jose Fernandez was killed on that day in a tragic boating accident. Fernandez was killed when the boat that he was on slammed into a rock at high speed.

Prior to the accident, the Marlins pitcher and two of his friends had been patrons at the Miami River bar - whether or not the driver of the boat was intoxicated during the time of the crash remains to be determined. What is known is that the driver was driving too fast for conditions and the impact of the crash is what killed Fernandez and his two friends.

Boating Safety

Details of the crash are still being investigated, but a statement given by police at the time of the crash notes that there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol on board the boat at the time of the accident. Also unknown is how familiar the driver of the boat was with the location of the crash.

Driving a boat at night (as Fernandez and his friends were doing) can be very dangerous. Even though there are lights on the water and signs that should be abided by, many boating accidents occur during the evening hours. Additionally, alcohol is a factor in many boating accidents. So, if these two factors are combined, great care must be exercised to avoid injuries.

Boaters that do want to drive at night should be experienced, extra cautious and be mindful of driving too fast - it is also important to know where potential dangers are within any body of water. For the most part, it is best not to drive a boat at night simply because some areas might not be properly lighted. If you are considering a nighttime boat trip, please make sure that you make sure your driver is experienced with the waters where you will be going, sober and extremely cautious.

Details Surfacing

Today, more details of the boat crash that killed Fernandez and his friends have begun to surface, but since none of those details are facts (not yet confirmed by police), we will not list them here. What we do know is that far too many boating accidents happen in Florida and that boating laws must be abided by in order to keep us all safe.

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