I had just returned from a business trip to Washington D.C. and was really hankering to do some riding. I loaded up the trusty Rodeo, hitched my Ski, and headed out to Canyon. After two bad experiences at Canyon Lake, I figured the third time would have to be the charm. I love Canyon Lake, it is very beautiful, but now I know that all the SPORS and IDIOTS go to Canyon and I may never visit there again.
It all started normal enough. I went out first, for about 45 minutes. I then came back and picked up my daughter, and we skiied until she became scared. I came back, and gave the ski to my girl friend.
She returned about 30 minutes later, and then my sister began to get ready to go out. An hour and a half latter, she rode in on the Sheriff's boat. My heart, for obvious reasons, sank.
My sister is a very experienced rider, with almost as much time on the ski as myself. She had riden up the lake, for about fifteen minutes, and then turned around. On the way back, she sited a good boat wake, set herself up for the jump, and...Well, she didn't jump it.
Apparently, around the same time, two small boys riding a 1996 Kawasaki SS had stopped at a nearby cove. The older boys (12 years) father owned the jet ski. His friend, being only 11, was along for a good day of skiing. Well, against the older boy's father's wishes, Michael jumped on the ski and proceeded to aquaint himself with it, by lake testing it in the narrow canyon. For those of you who don't know, you must be 12 to operate a jet ski in Arizona.
My sister sited the boy, and noted that his course was turning away from her - he was heading upstream, vs. Serena heading down-stream. She believed that he had sited her, and he had altered his course to the right, which should have carried him well away from her jump area. After unsuccessfully jumping the wake, she cranked the handle bars to the right, and throttled out. (she had crossed the center-line by about 50-100 feet, mind you, the canyon isn't even 800 feet across) Much to her dismay, the young boy had, instead, initiated a sharp left turn, possibly to turn around, and the two collided.
Serena was immediately pitched from the Ski, but was un-hurt. She found Michael floating, face down, next to her. She waved for a boat, and helped him into it. Michael was unconscious through all of this. She did note that he had completely fractured his lower right leg - it was barely attached! (I did warn you about this, didn't I?) She then proceeded to move my jet ski to shore, which was sinking rapidly.
Well, the jet ski suffered external damage to the hull (puncture), and internal damage to the gas tank (puncture) and electrical system (from being submerged). Michael did not make out so well. He suffered a major concussion, loss of the growth plate in his right leg, and as of October 1996, had not woken up from a coma. Our hopes and prayers go to Michael for a safe and speedy recovery.
Total cost of repairs would exceed $2000! Again! This time, I had the dealership verify the engine was ok (which it was) and winterize it. I still have not fixed it. I was very upset that this had happened to me again. (I had almost bought insurance, but thought, hey, nothing ever happens to me. True, but it happened to my sister.)
I waited for the boating report, certain that they would assign blame to the young boy's actions. After all, he did not yield right of way, and he was under age. But NO! I was to be denied my only chance at recovering anything from this accident. The boating report feels that my sister ran over (from behind) the Kawasaki SS. Such a claim is so unfounded, it upsets me! For one, the owner of the Kawasaki SS abandoned his boat at the lake. Guess what, it was never found! How can you draw a conclusion on a two vehicled accident if you have never seen the second boat! Secondly, the statistics provided in the boating report on my jet ski, and the SS, are both very wrong! Come on, Kawasaki SS's don't have 98HP (just one of many discrepancies). The report also stated that Michael had 10 or more hours of jet ski experience. The day of the accident, the family claimed that Michael had NEVER ridden before. Third, the conclusions of the boating report contradict all eye witness accounts of the accident. But, only my Sister had witnessed the whole thing.
A comparison of the damage done to my ski, and the damage we saw on the SS (We actually met the people that salvaged it - they probably took it home) confirms that this was a side impact collision (the front of his jet ski hit the side of mine). Bone fragments were found in my sponsoon and on the rear of the Kawasaki, completely contradictory to a rear-end collision.
So, I have no legal recourse, a little boys life is forever ruined, and I still have this broken ski. What can we learn from all this? I believe the best way to start would be to get children off of jet skis. A jet ski is a 40-50mph vehicle. Would you let a child drive your car? NO! Of course not. And neither should they be riding jet skis. These recreation vehicles are not toys!
Second, there should be some sort of certification for boat drivers. Perhaps licensing operators would be the best way to go. We have to get these inexperienced riders off of the lakes, not just for their safety, but ours as well.
Peace Man! And ride carefully!
-Dan
P.S: I am accepting any monetary donations you have for Dan's Fix-The-Ski fund. Our goal is $2000. Thank you for your support!