Officials Exploring Action On Boat Safety Concerns; Child’s Death Could Result In Push For Md. Law On Bow-Riding

OCEAN CITY — After a run of serious boating accidents in the resort this summer, including a fatal propeller strike that claimed the life of a child in August, a coalition of professional bay captains initiated a push for tighter regulations and standards for the rental industry, and it appears their efforts have not fallen on deaf ears.

There were three serious incidents involving rented pontoon boats in the bays around Ocean City in the span of about three weeks in August, including a fatal accident involving a 9-year child who fell off a boat while bow-riding, prompting a coalition of professional captains to push for increased safety measures and better training for boat renters before they are simply handed the keys and sent out on the water. The issues have existed for years, and while the timing coincided with the fatal accident involving the child, that incident was alone not the catalyst for the boat captains to seek change.

To be sure, there are plenty of rock solid rental operators who maintain their vessels with the best safety equipment and provide extensive training and guidance to renters, but there are an in-kind number of operators who simply hand over the keys and send weekend warriors out in the crowded bay with little more than a quick briefing. It is the latter that is causing serious, sometimes fatal, incidents on the water. It is not a new problem and incidents have been reported for as long as there have been rented vessels of all shapes and sizes, from small jet skis to large pontoon boats carrying double-digit passengers, intermingling with thousands of other boats out on the water on a typical summer day.

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