Empty boat does donuts around owner after he’s thrown overboard, Texas video shows
A Texas man had to dodge his own boat after he was thrown overboard and it kept running without him, video taken in Rockport shows.
Fortunately, a pair of boaters spotted the man wearing a yellow life vest and cruised in to help, even as his boat sped in circles right by him, the YouTube video posted by 30milesOut on Feb. 3 shows.
The boater recording the video reaches a hand out to help the man, but decides this is no place to stop.
“Let’s get the hell away from this boat,” he says.
Even after bringing the man to safety, his motorboat just won’t stop going, video shows.
He explains that he reached down to grab a drink and was launched out, the video shows, and because he wasn’t wearing a “kill switch” lanyard, the boat would not stop.
The boaters call 911 but stay in the area to warn others away.
“This boat doing donuts in the canal is going to potentially cause an accident,” they tell police.
Eventually, the unmanned vessel runs aground on a sandbar and the boaters hop aboard to turn off the engine.
The Aransas Pass Police Department shared the video on social media, as they received a call about the “runaway boat.” The video also highlights potential dangers of operating a boat and how to avoid them, police said.
Texas boaters are required to use ignition kill switches, either wireless or on a lanyard, since Kali’s Law went into effect in 2019, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The law is named for Kali Gorzell, a 16-year-old girl who died near Aransas Pass in 2012 after being hit by a boat propeller.
The coastal town of Rockport is roughly 24 miles northwest of Corpus Christi.
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