Mother killed after jet ski collision involving 16-year-old daughters
Accidents involving jet skis are becoming more common in France.
A woman has been killed after a collision between the jet ski she was riding with her partner, and another jet ski being driven by their 16-year-old twin daughters.
The family, from the French city of Angoulême, had been riding the jet skis under the supervision of an instructor, in Arcachon Bay, on the southwest coast of France, on Sunday (11 August 2024).
The 47-year-old woman suffered serious head injuries and died a few hours after the crash happened. The woman’s partner and daughters were treated in hospital for minor injuries and shock.
France has relatively strict rules about riding personal watercraft, a general term for motorised watercraft such as jet skis. To ride a jet ski in France, you have to be over 16 and hold a boat licence unless you are being supervised by a qualified instructor.
Speaking to local newspaper Sud Ouest, Sammy Maysonnave, a French jet ski champion, said: “Helmets should be compulsory, it’s basic. Riders also need more training, perhaps a special licence.”
While deaths related to jet ski crashes are rare in France, such accidents are becoming more common. In 2023, emergency services carried out 55 rescue missions along the Atlantic coast last year, an increase from 34 in 2022.
Resorts such as Arcachon and Lège-Cap-Ferret have already banned the launching of jet skis from beaches and pontoons between June 15 and September 15, amid complaints about noise and pollution concerns.
The ban was implemented after frequent arguments between jet skiers and beachgoers during the holiday season, some resulting in physical fights. Approved hire companies can still operate the vehicles.
Maysonnave, who also heads the jet ski association Arguin Jet, says the ban is “discriminatory”.
He adds: “There are sometimes accidents, as there are in cars, but is that a reason to make jet skis illegal? I don’t think so. We’re being deprived of a freedom, but it’s not over yet. We’re going to take legal action against it.”
In 2023, the UK introduced new legislation to crack down on the dangerous misuse of personal watercraft, with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) being granted more powers to prosecute perpetrators of accidents.
The move follows a boom in the watercraft industry during the pandemic, with the number, size, power and availability of watercraft like jet skis increasing, and their use in UK waters rising.
