The official first day of summer isn't even here yet, but the season already is bringing deadly accidents on Tennessee waterways as the holiday weekend approaches.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials expect Memorial Day weekend to be one of the busiest of the year with many boaters heading out on the water for the first time in 2021. And National Safe Boating Week May 22-28 highlights the need for caution on the region's busy lakes and rivers.
An investigation is continuing after a Clarksville, Tennessee, woman died and her husband sustained serious injuries from a boat explosion Sunday afternoon, which happened while the vessel on the Cumberland River was refueling, according to The Associated Press. Neither of the victims has been identified.
Last Thursday, Morristown, Tennessee, resident James McGee, 66, was killed after being struck by a boat propeller in a Douglas Lake accident around 7 p.m. at Leadvale Access Area northeast of Knoxville, according to the TWRA.
McGee was in a small aluminum boat when he fell overboard and was struck by the boat's propeller, seriously injuring his arm, agency officials said. Bystanders pulled McGee from the water, and he died later at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
Those deadly boating incidents bring total deaths for the 2021 season to eight, the TWRA said Monday. Aside from the deaths, there have been at least 24 reported Tennessee boating accidents with nine serious injuries for the year.
(READ MORE: One person dead after Chickamauga Lake boating accident in Meigs County, Tennessee)
BEFORE YOU GO
>Take a boating safety course>Conduct vessel safety check>Complete a pre-departure checklist>Check the weather>File a float planWHAT YOU NEED>Life jackets>Throwable flotation aids>Visual distress signals>Sound producing devices>Engine cut-off devicesON THE BOAT>Be aware>Boat sober>Provide life jackets>Provide navigation aidsSource: Operation Dry Water, 2018
"We want our boaters and fishermen to enjoy their time on our waterways," TWRA boating investigator Capt. Matt Majors said Monday in a statement. "However, boating incidents are preventable. Boating under the influence is irresponsible and illegal. Our wildlife officers will be out to ensure the safety of our boating public."
In 2020 the state wildlife agency reported a noticeable increase in traffic on the state's lakes and rivers - including a boom in use of paddle craft such as kayaks and paddleboards, whose users are required to use personal flotation devices, officials said. After a record-low year of eight boating fatalities in 2019, 2020 had the most boating-related fatalities in 37 years with 32.
"We want to continue to stress that the single most important action one can take to prevent drowning while boating is to wear a life jacket," TWRA Boating Education Coordinator Betsy Woods said in a safety statement. "We encourage our boaters to enjoy their time on the water in a safe and responsible matter."
The 2020 boating season also stood out for its unusual COVID-19 protocols calling for limited group numbers and social distancing among other pandemic-related measures now being lifted, although officials said the coronavirus possibly drove people outside in larger numbers.
"We can't speak to the whys of the increase," agency spokesperson Mime Barnes said Monday. "We assume COVID-19. As studies have revealed increases in outdoor activities across the U.S., we have seen an increase in boater registrations and boating activity on water bodies throughout the state."
New boaters hitting the water for the first time should perform a simple maintenance check, check hoses to make sure they are in good shape and make sure all lights work and extra fuses and bulbs are available, officials said.
"We encourage all boaters, no matter what the activity, to wear a life jacket," Barnes said, echoing Woods' warning. "Watch weather patterns, let someone know where you're going and a time you're expected home."
The Tennessee River is the primary waterway in North Alabama, too, where the state's Marine Patrol investigated 107 boating-related crashes that left 14 people dead in fiscal year 2019-2020, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. That number is down slightly from the prior year's mark of 110 fatalities on the water.
"Many of those fatalities could have been prevented by the simple act of wearing a proper personal flotation device," agency Secretary Hal Taylor said in a statement.
With public cooperation, "we can make this extended holiday weekend on the water safer for everyone, but it will require the use of [personal flotation devices] and courtesy among boaters, along with an understanding of safe boat operation and the dangers of consuming alcohol," Taylor said.
Nationally, the U.S. Coast Guard's 2019 Recreational Boating Safety Statistics show there were 613 fatalities for the year, 449 drownings, 2,559 injuries requiring medical treatment, 4,168 boating accidents and $55 million in property damage among almost 12 million registered recreational boats in the U.S.
Of those who drowned, 86% were not wearing life jackets and the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents was alcohol, statistics show.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.