foot throttle boaters...

[motocross269]

Check this out...Something to think about..

Arkansas Bassmaster Elite Series angler Clark Reehm and the marshal who was riding with him were ejected from Reehm's boat during day-2 competition today at Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake when a marking pen used to color and scent baits became lodged behind his foot throttle.

"Basically what happened is we were running to a place where I had a bed-fish and I was driving about 55 mph," he said. "We were going toward the cut and all of a sudden the throttle stuck and I couldn't decelerate. In hindsight I probably should've pulled the kill switch, but when you've got 150 feet before you're going to hit a dock, hit land or (be forced to) bail out, you have to think pretty quick."

He cranked the steering wheel, hoping to spin out the boat. The marshal ended up sliding across the seat and into him, and both went overboard. The kill switch, which was attached to his life vest via a cord, shut down the engine, but Reehm ended up underneath the boat and suffered a nasty gash to his forehead.

He also received some minor bumps and bruises, and said the marshal "seemed to be physically better off than I was. He was great about it – he said now he at least had an interesting story to tell instead of just talking about how he watched guys bed-fish for 2 days.

"I'd been warned by (a Skeeter official) to keep that area clean and I'd been making sure that loose line or a water bottle or something like that never got down in there. I would've never thought that a marker could get in there until it actually happened."

The accident occurred at about 3 p.m., and he said he talked to representatives from four different law enforcement organizations as well as tournament director Trip Weldon in the aftermath. No citations were written and Reehm eventually resumed fishing with the marshal on board (he weighed two fish today and ended up 95th in the 99-angler field).

"I'm sure I'm going to be sore for awhile. It hurts a little more once the adrenalin wears off."

[DDBethke]

Good "Heads Up" Moto, thanks...

[Dan]

That's one good reason to make sure your kill switch is attached.

[Waterfoul]

Good heads up for sure.  I always look before I leave the dock.  That doesn't help during the day... but I don't tend to let things get on the floor either.

[Skulley]

Always wear your life vest when the big motors running whether in a tournament and even more importantly when your not in a tournament.  You see so many that are not wearing them out fun fishing.  I am guilty of that.  From now on though, life jacket on and kill switch attached when the big motors running no matter tournament or fun fishing or practicing for an event or anytime!!     

He was lucky, lucky, lucky!!!!!        


BD         

[djkimmel]

I sometimes have been known to lecture fellow bass anglers about running in 'practice' with no life jacket or kill switch. I know of 2 deaths in Michigan and Indiana due to that very reason.

Also remember a bad accident because a wad of fishing line blew under the dash and wrapped around the foot throttle (not me - I try to learn from it). A few turns of some discarded fishing line and you can't break it. Always seems to happen at the worse possible time too.