Jet-Powered Watercraft Linked To Serious Injuries To Children

July 12, 2002

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Turning on a dime and reaching speeds up to 65 miles an hour, jet-powered personal watercraft can make the traditional motorboat look downright dull, especially to kids seeking summertime thrills.

But University of Florida medical experts warn that children are more likely to be seriously injured in accidents involving personal watercraft, or jet skis, than in accidents with small motorboats.

“The same factors that make personal watercraft fun make them dangerous,” said Dr. Elizabeth Beierle a UF pediatric surgeon who led a review of accidents involving each type of craft. “They’re small, they go fast, and they’re open. In an accident, there’s very little to prevent riders from being thrown off, and we believe that’s why we see more serious injuries with them.”

UF researchers examined 15 accident cases treated at Shands at UF medical center from 1992 to 2000 involving patients 6 to 19 years old who were aboard personal watercraft or motorboats less than 20 feet in length. Several types of serious injury were found only in personal watercraft cases, including closed-head trauma, spinal injuries, and trauma to the chest and abdomen.

Surgery was required in 75 percent of the accidents involving personal watercraft compared to 43 percent of the boat cases, she said. The UF research findings were published in the June issue of the journal The American Surgeon.

“Most of the accidents involved collisions with other vehicles or fixed objects, such as docks or stumps,” Beierle said. “The difference was boat passengers tended to remain inside the boat and contact its interior surfaces. Personal watercraft riders often became airborne and contacted whatever was in their path.”

The UF study was the first of its type focused exclusively on children, Beierle said.

While nationwide statistics collected by the U.S. Coast Guard on victims of all ages showed that personal watercraft and open motorboat accidents generated nearly equal rates – about 17 percent – of head, neck, spinal and internal injuries in 2000, fatality rates for personal watercraft accidents far exceeded those for motorboats. Personal watercraft accidents caused 68 fatalities in the United States in 2000 compared to 361 from motorboat accidents, according to the Coast Guard, but slightly more than 500,000 personal watercraft were in use compared to 8 million outboard motorboats.

In 2000, Florida had the third-largest number of registered vessels in the nation with more than 840,000, including more than 105,000 personal watercraft, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Florida also led the nation in boating accidents in 2000 with more than 1,200.

But there is good news, said Capt. Richard Moore, boating law administrator for the commission. Personal watercraft accidents and injuries reported in Florida have declined about 40 percent from 1995 to 2001. Coast Guard statistics show a 20 percent decline nationally in personal watercraft accidents from 1997 to 2000 and a 15 percent decline in injuries.

“We’re still not where we want to be, but personal watercraft users are making a greater effort to practice good safety habits,” he said.

In Florida, the minimum age to operate a personal watercraft is 14, and Beierle said youth is a factor in many accidents involving them.

“Kids that age don’t necessarily have the cognitive ability to make split-second decisions in an emergency, and they may not have the coordination to use the controls precisely,” she said. “We’re also concerned that children younger than 14 are sometimes allowed to operate the vehicles, which happened with two patients in our study.”

Moore said safe personal watercraft operation is more than a matter of age.

“Some of these vehicles can go 65 miles per hour, and there are many adults who aren’t ready for that responsibility,” he said. “Our statistics indicate that there’s no disparity in the occurrence of injuries to kids versus adults.”

The extreme maneuverability of personal watercraft tempts operators to make sudden turns or ride in circles, which can create unexpected hazards for others or leave operators disoriented, he said.

“If you’re in the middle of a lake alone, that’s one thing, but if there are other craft or bathers or fixed objects nearby, it’s just wrong to do this,” he said.