The senseless drowning death of Marquise Hill last weekend came as a shock to his family, friends and teammates on the New England Patriots.

At 24 years old, Hill, a defensive end, was listed as 6-foot-6, 228 pounds on the Patriots Web site. Quite athletic, Hill has been described as a strong swimmer. Teammate Ty Warren told the Associated Press, “The average person might think a guy like that would just swim his way out of that situation. But it just goes to show, you just never know.”

Hill died after falling off a personal watercraft on May 27 in Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans during a Memorial Day weekend break from team workouts. His body wasn’t found for another day.

Hill and a female friend — neither of whom was wearing a life jacket — ventured onto the lake near the south shore. It was reported that the pair ended up in an area of swirling currents near where a shipping canal runs into the lake.

The woman survived by clinging to a pylon until she was rescued, but said she last saw Hill floating away before disappearing.

The saddest part is that Hill could have survived had he followed the most basic rule for personal watercraft safety — wearing a life jacket.

The American Red Cross offers safety guidelines on its Web site. Among those for personal watercraft (PWC) are:

• Coast Guard-approved life jackets should be worn by the operator of the PWC as well as any riders.
• Ride with a buddy. PWCs should always travel in groups of two or three. You never know when an emergency might occur.
• Use extreme caution around swimmers and surfers. Run your PWC at a slow speed until the craft is away from shore, swimming areas and docks. Avoid passing close to other boats and jumping wakes. This behavior is dangerous and often illegal.

Despite the Hill tragedy, PWC safety has been on the rise, according to statistics from the Personal Watercraft Industry Association.

The PWIA data show that the number of injuries involving PWCs has decreased every year since 1996. According to Coast Guard numbers:

• In 1991: There were an estimated 305,915 PCWs in use in the United States; there were 1,513 reported accidents, for a ratio of 4.95 per 1,000 riders; there were 26 reported fatalities.
• In 1994: There were an estimated 600,000 PCWs in use in the U.S.; there were 3,002 reported accidents, for a ratio of 5.0 per 1,000 riders; there were 56 reported fatalities.
• In 1999: There were an estimated 1.8 million PCWs in use in the U.S.; there were 3,374 reported accidents, for a ratio of 2.86 per 1,000 riders; there were 66 reported fatalities.
• In 2004: There were an estimated 1.48 million PCWs in use in the U.S.; there were 1,767 reported accidents, for a ratio of 1.12 per 1,000 riders; there were 50 reported fatalities.

The numbers are very telling. The Coast Guard data showed that the most common cause of accidents involved operator inexperience, excessive speed and operator inattention.

According to the PWIA, by 2003, 35 states had enacted mandatory education for PWC users in some form. And, according to the PWIA, accident rates have dropped significantly because of it.

In Pennsylvania, since 2000, PWC users have had to attend a mandatory eight-hour education course before being allowed to operate one.

Starting in 2000, there has been a drastic drop in PWC accidents and injuries. The state’s annual Boating Accident report lists 14 recorded PWC accidents in 2004, compared to 36 in 1999.

These dramatic reductions, causing the lowest figures since 1992, occurred during a time when thousands of new PWCs were registered in the state. The analysis also reports 2004 was the 12th straight year that there were no fatalities involving a PWC.

• Boating Accident Statistics
• Accidents While Aboard Commercial Vessels
• Boating Accident Verdicts

• Boating Accident - United States Coast Guard
Annual statistics of reported boating accidents compiled from all fifty states by the U.S. Coast Guard - Adobe Acrobat Reader required.