The Epidemiology of Injury among Surfers, Kite Surfers and Personal Watercraft Riders: Wind and Waves

2012 ◽  
pp. 80-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri J. Pikora ◽  
Rebecca Braham ◽  
Christina Mills
Keyword(s):  
Personal Watercraft

scholarly journals Personal Watercraft Incident Court Decisions: The Plaintiff’s Odds?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5096
Author(s):  
Eui-Yul Choi ◽  
Woo Jeong Cho
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Court Decisions ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Personal Watercraft ◽  
Successful Adults ◽  
Significant Factors

A personal watercraft (PWC) is a vessel that uses an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as a source of power and is operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling. Maneuvering a PWC is different from operating a motor vehicle or boat. An obstacle cannot be avoided by slowing down and turning the watercraft; throttle power is required to turn or maneuver the PWC. The watercraft stops only by drifting or turning sharply. The study examined sixty court decisions published in LexisNexis databases of the United States over the last decade. Cases included individuals injured while operating a PWC as a driver, passenger, or as a result of contact with a watercraft. A content analysis identified items to be used in the study. Crosstab and logistic regression analyses were used to identify demographic information and the characteristics of those who succeeded in a court of law. One-third of the cases were successful; adults, males, and the party who sustained a severe injury were more successful in a court of law with the exception of the statistically significant factors (high risk maneuvers and sharp turns). Among the additional results, we should be aware that insurance companies may not pay; additionally, it is unwise to loan a PWC to a female who has no experience.

FOCUS Headform Testing Used to Evaluate Head Injury Risk for Ejected Riders of Personal Watercraft

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chimba Mkandawire ◽  
Eric S. Winkel ◽  
Nicholas A. White ◽  
Edward Schatz
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Head Injury ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Skull Fractures ◽  
Facial Fractures ◽  
Injury Criteria ◽  
Facial Skull ◽  
Personal Watercraft ◽  
Wide Variability ◽  
Head Injury Criteria

Operators of personal watercraft (PWC) can perform maneuvers that may result in riders separating from the moving watercraft; the tested hypothesis was whether substantial brain injury concurrent with substantial facial and skull fractures can occur from contact with the PWC during a fall. The present study reports the potential for AIS2+ facial/skull fractures and AIS2+ traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a generic fall from the PWC in the absence of wave-jumping or other aggressive maneuvers. While it is well known that PWC can be used for wave-jumping which can result in more severe impacts, such impacts are beyond the scope of the present study because of the wide variability in occupant and PWC kinematics and possible impact velocities and orientations. Passenger separation and fall kinematics from both seated and standing positions were analyzed to estimate head impact velocities and possible impact locations on the PWC. A special purpose headform, known as the Facial and Ocular CountermeasUre Safety (FOCUS) device was used to evaluate the potential for facial fractures, skull fractures and TBI. Impacts between the FOCUS headform and the PWC were performed at velocities of 8, 10, and 12 miles per hour at 5 locations near the stern of a PWC. This study reports impact forces for various facial areas, linear and angular head accelerations, and Head Injury Criteria (HIC). The risk for facial fracture and TBI are reported herein. The results of this study indicate that concurrent AIS2 facial fractures, AIS2+ skull fractures, and AIS2+ TBI do not occur during a simple fall from a PWC.

Personal Watercraft Injuries

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Stephen Targett ◽  
Celeste Geertsema
Keyword(s):  
Personal Watercraft
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document