Wear your PFD: 1 saved, 1 missing after boating accident in Lake Pontchartrain

There's always the "I can swim" person who refuses to wear their PFD.

They don't realize you can't swim if you're unconscious and/or injured....

Nobody can swim with a concussion or getting the wind kncocked out of u

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There's always the "I can swim" person who refuses to wear their PFD.

They don't realize you can't swim if you're unconscious and/or injured....

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Also hard to swim in tidal currents which can be extremely strong. I do not get out of the truck on the hill with my PFD on. I have one with the CO2 cartridge and its almost like not having one on at all. They aren't guaranteed to work like a real PFD but I feel more secure with it on. I still practice precaution.

I came real close to going over the transom leadering as sail fish once. I was alone....about 5 miles off the hill...and the stream was RIPPING....I was 3/4 of the way in the water hanging onto the engine controls....very tense few seconds. Had I gone in completely by the time I surfaced the boat would have been many yards away....and even only 5 miles offshore in some of the busiest shipping lanes on the continent people who do go in and cant reach their boat normally do not make it...especially if they aren't wearing a PFD. They are not as comfortable as not wearing one but watching your boat drift out of reach 5 miles off the hill is probably far less comfortable...