SAVED BY THE JACKET
SEND IN YOUR LIFE-SAVING STORIES
DID YOU KNOW?
- Life jackets are the most important piece of equipment on your boat.
- Some 80% of boating fatalities happen to boaters who are not wearing a life jacket.
- All boats must have a United States Coast Guard-approved wearable (Type I, II, III, or V) life jacket on board for each person.
WERE YOU SAVED BY THE JACKET?
Share your experience with us so that others may learn the importance of wearing a life jacket on and around the water. We want to take your real-life story and show others proof that life jackets really do save lives.
Stories are limited to Pennsylvania waterways and a word count of 150 words or less.
SAVED BY THE JACKET
99-year-old Recalls How
A Life Jacket Saved the Day
Mr. Robert Miller still remembers how in 1970, when he was 69, a life jacket saved the lives of him-self and his 10-year-old grandson.
“I had purchased a collapsible boat. The manufacturer of the boat sold a sailing kit that could be used with the boat. I bought the kit and learned to do some sailing,” remembers Miller.
Mr. Miller and his grandson took the boat to the James Creek boat launch on Raystown Lake.
“As I tried to raise the sail, the line climbed over the edge of the pulley and jammed. I was unable to raise or lower the sail,” said Mr. Miller. “The wind hit the sail and blew it around toward me. The boom struck my shoulder and pushed me to the side of the boat. My grandson and I were both dumped into the water.
“Thanks to our life jackets, we came back to the surface of the lake,” he continued. “My grandson was holding onto the overturned boat. I took a knife from my belt and got under the boat and cut the line, permitting the mast to fold down. Then I paddled and pushed the boat to shore.” Without life jackets a simple accident could have been a tragedy.