Personal Water Craft - Hazards

Hazards

Apart from the obvious hazards of collisions and mechanical breakdowns common to all vehicles, operating a PWC can involve a risk of orifice injuries. These injuries are typical of the kinds of injuries that waterskiers experience by virtue of falling into the water at speed. Such injuries can occur from simply falling in the water at speed or they can occur from the output end of the pump jet. A rider who falls (or is ejected) off the back can land directly in the path of the PWC's high-pressure jet of water. Unless a rider is appropriately dressed in garments made out of a strong, thick substance like neoprene (as is commonly found in wetsuits), the jet may penetrate any orifice it reaches. All of the major PWC manufacturers warn about this risk and recommend that passengers wear wet suit bottoms or equivalent protection. The American Waterski Racing Association recommends that all of their racers wear wet suit bottoms for this same reason. Such an injury can result in permanent disability or death. For example, in 2006, the California Court of Appeal (First District) upheld a US$3.7 million Napa County jury verdict against Polaris Industries arising out of one such incident (which had devastating effects on the victim's lower abdomen). Much like the incidence rate with waterskiing, the reported rate of this kind of injury is very low. The NTSB studied the files related to over 1800 PWC accidents, over a period of almost 2 years, and did not discover any such accidents. This is largely due to the fact that in order to received this type of injury, the passenger must fall directly off to the rear of the craft and hit the water at a specific angle, before such an injury can occur. It is also likely that many other kinds of materials besides wet suit bottoms will provide sufficient protection.

While also rare, spinal injuries can occur while surf jumping and, potentially, wake jumping. The PWC manufacturers owner's manuals all include warnings regarding jumping at excessive heights, or operating a PWC if there is a prior history of back injury. The current on-product labels say "Jumping wakes or waves can increase the risk of spinal/backbone injuries (paralysis)". The current Kawasaki owner's manual provides: "Slow down before crossing waves. Do not ride if you have a back condition. High speed operation in choppy or rough water may cause back injuries."

Another rare, but unique injury risk with jet boats, is being sucked into the intake side of the pump jet. Current PWC products contain on-product warnings that state: "Keep away from Intake Grate while the engine is on. Items such as long hair, loose clothing, or PFD straps can become entangled in moving parts and result in severe injury or drowning".