Authorities investigating the June 15th Lake Winnipesaukee boating accident that killed one passenger and hospitalized another passenger and the driver have not as yet determined whether speed was a factor in causing that accident. That certainly has not stopped the accident from being a discussion point among boaters with the emphasis on whether or not there should be a speed limit for boating on the big lake.
Erica Blizzard, the boat’s operator that night, is president of a boaters’ association that is opposed to the speed limits that are set to go in effect on January 1st for a two-year trial. She testified earlier that the speed limit campaign was based “strictly on fear and emotion.”
Lauren Gamache owns a vacation home on the lake and feels the the speed limit will hurt tourism. Gamache is quoted in the Laconia Daily Sun as saying, “Once they put the speed limit on the lake, the economy’s going to drop. They’re going to be sorry.”
State Representative James Pilliod, a sponsor of the bill to limit boat speed, said that many residents who live year-round or vacation on the lake are terrified of the fast boats. Sandy Helve, President of the Winnipesaukee Family Alliance for Boating Safety, is quoted as saying, “It’s becoming similar to the wild, wild west, anything goes. It’s just become a more treacherous lake to be on.”
The site of the crash, Diamond Island, is just off the deepest part of the lake. It was pitch black and drizzling that night and locals say there was poor visibility. Merrill Fay, owner of Fay’s Boat Yard, is quoted in the article as saying, “If she had run into the island at 25 MPH she would have got bumped around a little but that’s all.”
When she was found by an island resident she was unconscious. The bones in the back of her neck were broken, her face was swollen and she had cuts on her chin. She was hospitalized in critical condition and released on June 30th.
Jim
Dave