Table 5-4 Recreational Boating Accidents, Fatalities, and Injuries, 2006
Table 5-4
Recreational Boating Accidents, Fatalities, and Injuries, 2006
| Type of accident | Total | Fatalities | Injuries | Property damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collision with vessel | 1,360 | 75 | 1,001 | $9,527,059 |
| Collision with fixed object | 517 | 47 | 391 | $5,073,039 |
| Skier mishap | 510 | 12 | 514 | $1,803 |
| Fall overboard | 485 | 202 | 306 | $363,915 |
| Capsizing | 455 | 215 | 237 | $1,744,198 |
| Grounding | 252 | 12 | 165 | $2,797,198 |
| Flooding/swamping | 216 | 26 | 54 | $2,095,852 |
| Fall in boat | 199 | 4 | 221 | $88,225 |
| Collision with floating object | 142 | 8 | 86 | $1,252,054 |
| Fire/explosion (fuel) | 141 | 1 | 66 | $6,022,964 |
| Sinking | 114 | 13 | 21 | $2,657,135 |
| Struck by motor/propeller | 107 | 8 | 98 | $19,300 |
| Other type of accident | 101 | 10 | 72 | $168,337 |
| Struck submerged object | 86 | 2 | 30 | $552,459 |
| Struck by boat | 66 | 1 | 68 | $21,402 |
| Fire/explosion (other) | 63 | 1 | 14 | $10,693,811 |
| Ejected from vessel | 40 | 13 | 33 | $463,573 |
| Departed vessel-swimming | 36 | 31 | 6 | $0 |
| Fall on boat | 29 | 1 | 29 | $7,050 |
| Unknown | 23 | 12 | 8 | $21,550 |
| Carbon monoxide exposure | 18 | 12 | 51 | $99,500 |
| Departed vessel-retrieval | 4 | 3 | 1 | $0 |
| Departed vessel | 3 | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Total | 4,967 | 710 | 3,474 | $43,670,424 |
NOTES: These data do not include: 1) accidents involving ONLY slight injury not requiring medical treatment beyond first aid; 2) accidents involving ONLY property damage to vessels and other property less than $ 2,000 per accident; 3) accidents not caused or contributed to by a vessel, its equipment, or its appendages; and 4) accidents in which the boat was used SOLELY as a platform for other activities, such as swimming or skin diving.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Boating Statistics, 2006; available at: http://www.uscgboating.org as of Mar. 24, 2008.
- Capsizing was the most frequent accident type associated with recreational boating fatalities in 2006, followed by falls overboard. Collision with another vessel was a distant third.
- In 2006, recreational boating accidents caused more than $43 million worth of property damage. Fuel and nonrelated fire/explosion, collision with other vessels, and collision with fixed object lead the incidents in terms of the value property damage.