Moville Jet Ski Accident
BEACHGOERS watched in horror on Sunday evening last as a young girl was injured in a jet ski crash which has been described as “an accident waiting to happen.”
The girl, thought to be around 13 years old and from Derry, was taken to Altnagelvin Area Hospital with leg injuries after her machine smashed into rocks at Glenburnie Beach, near Moville, at approximately 4.30pm.
The incident, which occurred when the beach was “choc-a-bloc” with locals and tourists enjoying the weekend’s sunny weather, has prompted calls for tougher restrictions on the use of jet skis on local beaches, with local Councillor Martin Farren revealing he is to raise the issue at this Thursday’s Inishowen Electoral Area meeting.
It has also been suggested the accident could have been “much, much worse” as, if the jet ski had not hit the rocks and instead had plummeted into the large crowd gathered on the beach, there could have been multiple casualties.
In fact, one young boy had a lucky escape as, just a moment earlier, he had been playing on the rocks the jet ski crashed into.
Speaking to the Inish Times, Councillor Farren said the accident “shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.”
He said: “First and foremost, my thoughts are with the young girl and her family. Hopefully, she’ll be OK and make a full recovery. A lot of people were very shocked on the beach but there was serious concern for the welfare of the young girl. I’d also like to pay tribute to the NowDoc and ambulance service in getting there and looking after the little girl so well.
“It just puts it into perspective how powerful these machines can be. Glenburnie Beach is on the Sli Na Slainte shore walk between Moville and Greencastle and is very popular with tourists and locals. It is the only access point for that stretch of water for emergency services and it’s extremely important it is kept free. What’s happening a lot of the time is people launch jet skis on that part of the water and that’s a huge health and safety issue in itself. From that point of view it shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
Councillor Farren is now calling on new regulations to be made which would designate a specific launch point for jet skis and require them to be at least 200 metres from the beach area itself.
He said: “As a public representative, I will be expressing my concerns and those of the public in order to get the legislation changed. The legislation that exists currently – the Donegal County Council (regulation and control of certain marine craft) – comes under the Marine Safety Act 2004, and is relevant to 15 Blue Flag beaches. It does not allow jet skis on these beaches.
“I will be asking that the Council extend this to high amenity beaches such as Glenburnie sooner rather than later. A lot of people use this beach and it was absolutely choc-a-bloc at the weekend.
“People in the community feel a designated area would need to be found for the launch of these jet skis and those using them should have to keep a safe distance, which I would say its about 200 metres. This jet ski could have come right on to the beach and that doesn’t even bear thinking about. Emergency services also found it difficult getting access to the beach, which is extremely serious. I will be raising all these issues at Thursday’s meeting.”
Local man Enda Craig, who lives beside the beach, told the Inish Times he had raised the issue of jet skis in the area with Donegal County Council two years ago.
He said: “I outlined the fact jet skis weren’t suitable on that beach as there is an outcropping of rock on either side of it and it’s only 50 metres long. A large crowd can’t get out of the way of the jet skis and many people feel intimidated and actually leave the beach. What happens is like a relay team, a couple get on the jet ski, go roaring out then come roaring back in again. They are on the go morning to night.
“I have absolutely nothing against jet skis but they have to be properly regulated. Yesterday was an accident waiting to happen I had actually been down at the beach just moments before it as I had been in contact with Cllr Farren and Cllr Padraig MacLochlainn on the issue and was collecting information they could raise at the meeting on Thursday”
Mr Craig called for a “moratorium” to now be put on the use of jet skis at Glenburnie Beach until regulations are looked at and finalised.
“I understand people are entitled to use jet skis but people are also entitled to use the beach. Everyone is very, very worried about the young girl and only the jet ski veered away to the left it would have gone straight onto the beach and God knows what would have happened. There was a little boy playing on the rock just a minute before and his poor mother thought he was gone. She was in a terrible state.
“The Council need to do something shortly, I hope it’s not like a bad bend on a road where someone needs to get killed before something is done.
“I’m calling on them to put a moratorium on jet skis and have none allowed until this is sorted. The jet ski people can do their bit too, as can we, and we can all meet and sit down together to get this sorted out.
“We all wish the girl a very speedy recovery and that is absolutely paramount but we have to do something about the issue of jet skis on our beaches and do so immediately.”