Jetskier Killed after Hitting Anchor Chain

by The Guardian/BW Media on 30 Apr 2008 It's finally happened. A jetskier in Broadwater, on the Gold Coast of Queensland, has been killed by colliding with the anchor chain of a moored boat. If you've ever anchored your boat in the Broadwater you might have been sometimes terrified - as I have been - by Jetskis going past your boat in a (4knot area) at high speeds.

Shaking fists doesn't seem to help...




The Guardian reported that a British doctor had been killed after being catapulted on to a sandbank when his hired jetski hit the anchor chain.

Dr Sridhar Shekar, 31, from Meanwood, Leeds, UK, sustained serious head and body injuries, including a broken pelvis, in the collision yesterday morning local time. Witnesses tried to administer emergency first aid but were unable to revive him.

His wife, Dr Divya Patel, 32, who was a passenger on the jetski, suffered minor injuries and shock in the accident on Broadwater, north of Surfers Paradise. Police said the boat's owner was on board at the time of the fatal collision and was also treated for shock.

The Guardian also noted that 'The area is popular with tourists and water sports enthusiasts because of its calm, protected waters.'

However, it has become SO popular with powerboats, tourist boats and jetskis that the water is no longer calm, especially at weekends. It is constantly churned and the noise level of competing motors high, making it difficult for the inexperienced to control their boats or hear others coming. There are many near misses and no daily evidence of authorities enforcing the speed limits.

Shekar had been under supervision and was using a dedicated jetski course when staff alerted him he was going too close to a boat just moments before he crashed at around 10.30am.

Trevor Gibson, part-owner of the jetski hire business, said: 'I'm not sure if it was his first time or not. He had done a couple of circuits of the course already. Our staff had warned him that he was going too close to a moored boat.'

He added that the moored boat was around 100 metres from where Shekar had set off from the beach after being warned about the hazard. 'It is inexplicable that it happened,' Gibson said. 'I just have no idea how he could have hit it. The company has been operating for 13 years and nothing like this has ever happened.'

State police said an investigation had been launched. Asked whether inexperience could have played a part in the accident, acting senior sergeant Mark Kelly told reporters: 'It can be very difficult to drive a jetski. I believe the person, it may have been his first time on the jetski.'

Anna Bligh, Queensland's premier, said state authorities would ask whether the regulations on the hiring of jetskis should be tightened. 'We expect that our tourists will be involved in adventure and often sometimes quite risky behaviour, but we need to also satisfy ourselves that all reasonable care has been taken by the operator,' she said. 'This investigation will assist us to determine whether we need to toughen up any of the regulation of this industry.'