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Troubled water
Visitors to Missouri's most popular lake find that carelessness can ruin a weekend and sometimes take a life.
By JAMES GOODWIN and DIDI TANG of the Tribune's staff
Published Sunday, August 31, 2003


LAKE OF THE OZARKS —
They come by the tens of thousands every weekend from May through September: swimmers, jet skiers, powerboaters, parasailers and partiers all jockeying for water room on the Lake of the Ozarks. But boats are getting faster and bigger and the wakes they generate more massive. A Tribune investigation reveals that a combination of rough water and simple carelessness makes the Lake of the Ozarks one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States.


Accident profile
Most boating accidents on the Lake of the Ozarks between 1997 and 2001 fit this profile:
● Day — Most happen on weekends.
● Cause — Most involve people not watching where they are going. Hazardous water is second. Alcohol use ranked no higher than fifth.
● Injury — Cuts top the list, with broken bones a distant second.
● Type — Collision with another vessel
● Boat — Motorboats, especially those measuring 17 to 30 feet, followed closely by jet skis. Cabin motorboats, pontoon boats and houseboats have relatively few accidents.
● Water condition — 44 percent of accidents happen in choppy water, where waves measure 6 inches to 2 feet. Thirty-five percent of accidents happen when waves are 6 inches or less.
● Operator’s age — Boaters between 22 and 40 have 42 percent of accidents. Operators 21 and younger have 26 percent of accidents.
Source: Tribune computer analysis
of U.S. Coast Guard statistics


Danger in the water
The 10 U.S. bodies of water with the most boating accidents between 1997 and 2001:
1. Atlantic coast 953
2. Colorado River 726
3. Lake of the Ozarks 725
4. Gulf of Mexico 667
5. Lake Mead 519
6. Lake Powell 411
7. Pacific coast 355
8. Mississippi River 300
9. Lake Michigan 292
10. Lake Havasu 254
Source: Tribune computer analysis of U.S. Coast Guard statistics