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Deadly weekend on Texas waters
After a deadly weekend on Texas waterways, Game Wardens are urging people to put safety first this Fourth of July.
AUSTIN, Texas - After a deadly weekend on Texas waterways, Game Wardens are urging people to put safety first this Fourth of July.
Last weekend alone, they responded to eight water-related deaths and multiple serious injuries across Texas.
What they're saying:
"It changes the complexion of our waterways when people are out enjoying and relaxing and tragedy strikes," said Cody Jones, Texas Game Warden Assistant Commander, Boating Law Administrator.
Cody Jones, Texas Game Warden Assistant Commander, says all the incidents happened across the state, including Travis, Galveston, and Tarrant counties.
There was one death and one emergency incident that wardens responded to on Lake Travis this past weekend.
"The incidents that occurred last weekend could all potentially have been preventable, employing just some focused safety initiatives, one being if everybody wears a life jacket on the water, that's key number one to life safety," said Jones.
He also encourages boaters to never go out without letting someone know their plans. Tell family or friends where you’re going, when you expect to return, and most importantly, keep alcohol and drugs out of the equation.
"We encourage the public to file the flow plan with their friends or family, say when they're going to go out, when they plan to return, and then keep alcohol and drugs out of the picture. Alcohol on the water is a very serious problem and causes a lot of fatalities and serious injuries on our waterways," said Jones.
Dig deeper:
The Fourth of July holiday is one of the deadliest holiday weekends on the water.
Last year, Travis County ranked first for the number of water incidents in Texas and tied for fourth in water-related fatalities. There were 223 cases statewide, with 69 cases in May, and 108 water fatalities.
"Unlike vehicles, waterways don't have lanes of traffic, don't have traffic signals, and so it takes everybody employing safe practices and safe operation to make it enjoyable and safe," said Jones.
The holiday weekend also marks heightened awareness for the Texas Game Wardens' "Operation Dry Water."
The nationwide campaign focuses on preventing incidents that occur with alcohol involvement on Texas waterways.
In addition to wearing a life jacket and not boating under the influence, boaters should keep a close eye on children, watch for changing weather conditions, and avoid unnecessary risks.
"Game Wardens will be out there patrolling the waterways, conducting safety inspections to make sure that you have all your safety equipment on board your vessel, but also making sure that the operator and the passengers are enjoying their time out there safely and not using alcohol or drugs while they're out there operating on the water," said Jones.
The Game Wardens say the message is simple: a few extra safety tips can be the difference between a fun day on the water and a tragedy.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King