A collision between a motorboat and a personal watercraft (PWC) in Poole over the weekend has raised further questions over the safety of PWCs in busy boating areas
A PWC driver suffered head injuries after it collided with a motorboat on Saturday afternoon at the entrance to Poole Harbour.
Portland Coastguard was alerted to the incident shortly after 1.30pm when the skipper of the motorboat Cat’s Whiskers made an emergency call to report that a male rider had been thrown from his PWC after it collided with the motorboat Albabra.
The incident occurred near to buoy number 10, close to the harbour entrance.
Portland Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 106 was scrambled, together with both the Poole RNLI all-weather and inshore lifeboats and the Poole harbour launch, Vixen.
A statement on Poole Lifeboat Station’s website said:
“When the lifeboats arrived on scene they found that a jet-skier had collided with a speedboat. Both vessels had drifted onto Hook sands. The man on the jet-ski had a serious gash on his head and required medical assitance.
The air crew lifted the PWC driver to the nearby helicopter landing site from where he was transferred to Poole Hospital A&E. Poole RNLI inshore lifeboat escorted the boat back to Parkstone Bay Marina and no-one on board was thought to be injured.
This incident follows a similar collision between a PWC and a trimaran in Studland Bay last month.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.
