PropellerSafety.com

Archive for December 2012

Medical Care Advances Influence Trends in BARD Fatalities

The U.S. Coast Guard has long touted the downward slope in annual BARD (USCG’s Boating Accident Report Database) fatalities as a measure of improvements brought about by: Regulations Law enforcement presence Boater education Boating safety programs Improvements in boating equipment USCG reported 1,754 recreational boating fatalities in 1973 (the highest number of fatalities since 1970). […]

Propeller Guards Increase Cross Sectional Area And Thus Increase Risk of Injury?

Is the Additional Cross Sectional Area of a Propeller Guard a Significant Hazard or is the Industry Grasping at Straws? The boating industry has long cited the increased cross sectional area of propeller guards vs. the cross sectional area of an open propeller as an added risk. They say the increased area would result in […]

Australian Military Fined for Not Using Propeller Guards

Back in February 2010, Oliver Minchin, a 19 year old military cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy was participating with other cadets in fast water insertion training (jumping in while underway at speed) from a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) on Lake Burrinjuck. Minchin was severely struck by the propeller. His father, a well known […]

Casey Schulman Was Not the First: Catamaran Dive, Snorkel, & Party Boat Propeller Accidents

Casey Schulman’s Anchorage Dive Center charter boat propeller accident in Dominica was not the first one. The recent Casey Schulman propeller accident in Dominica involving a large Sail Cat on a Snorkel & Party charter has been called a “freak accident” by the media and even by the tour boat company involved. Anchorage, the charter […]

Tourists Being Struck and Killed by Boat Propellers in Diving / Snorkeling Areas

The recent December 2012 Casey Schulman propeller accident is reminiscent of many other diving and snorkeling tourist prop strikes in diving / snorkeling areas. These regions of the world often lack quick emergency response teams, paramedics, life flight, trauma centers, advanced medical care, and blood supplies. Boats are usually not registered and no boating safety […]

Terrell Horne USCG Killed by Boat Propeller While Interdicting Smugglers

Executive Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, age 34 of Redondo Beach, was second in command on the Halibut, a 87 foot Marina del Rey based Coast Guard Cutter. The Halibut patrols about three hundred miles of southern California coastline and provides security for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Officer […]

Casey Schulman, University of Virginia “Semester at Sea” Student, Killed by Propeller in Domica

Casey Shulman, 22 year old fourth year University of Virginia (UVA) student from Falls Church Virginia, spent the Fall 2012 semester on a 14 week “Semester at Sea” program. The semester for this University of Virginia program was winding down in early December 2012. Their vessel, the MV Explorer, with 54 UVA students on board […]