PSA if you're going boating: wear a life jacket

[undeterred]

A Madison boater whose body was recovered from Lake Monona on Tuesday appears to have died from accidental drowning, the Dane County Coroner's Office has found.

David M. Fritz, 39, had no significant injuries and no foul play is suspected, according to interim Coroner Kurt Karbusicky. A final ruling on the cause and manner of death is pending test results.

According to the Dane County Sheriff's Office, Fritz was boating with his wife and 4-year-old twin sons when he made an abrupt turn and all four fell into the water about 500 yards off Olbrich Park at about 6:45 p.m. Monday. His wife and children were pulled from the water by nearby boaters and were not injured.

Divers used sonar to find Fritz's body on the lake's murky bottom. His body was brought ashore at Law Park at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_2be483a2-a2fb-11de-ae7d-001cc4c002e0.html

Some young boys lost their dad this week, and he could have survived if he had some kind of flotation device.

[cbayer]

1. I would also note that anyone that makes such an abrupt turn as to throw four people

out of a boat on a calm lake probably shouldn't be driving a boat.

Very, very sad.

[MichiganVote]

3. No kidding. Sorry for the family but come on...use good sense people.

[Octafish]

2. Always wear a life jacket, even when close to shore or on small bodies of water.

People may laugh when they see me wearing a life jacket on a small lake as I kayak. It has more than once saved my sweaty hide on the big water, when the wind and waves were up and the undertow was strong.

Way back when, I covered the drowning of three young men who were celebrating their high school graduation. Their canoes overturned and they sank like stones -- none were strong swimmers. A fourth survived, but he said they were in weeds and started to panic, making things worse. None wore a life jacket.

The kids were enjoying the water at a friend's house. They'd be about 36 years of age today.

[undeterred]

4. I'd never laugh.

We have two large, deep lakes in Madison (Monona and Mendota). There have been at least 3 drownings this month alone. And I don't doubt that people take boats out who have no idea what they are doing.
Safety is no joke.