Idaho Marks First Fatality From Jet-Ski

Safety officials are concerned about the rising rate of accidents involving personal watercraft.

Pierrette “Kayleen” Bishop, a 16-year-old junior at Orah High School, was killed Tuesday night on a church outing when the watercraft she was operating collided with another.

Officials said the accident caps several record-breaking years of accidents on the popular machines. It was the first fatality on one of the watercraft.

In 1994, 30 accidents were reported statewide. A year earlier, there were 15 accidents.

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” said Stan Zastrow, part owner of Outdoor Adventures Inc., which rents personal water craft. “I was shaking this morning, thinking about it.”

Idaho has no laws requiring craft operators to take classes or undergo training before they hit the water. There are no age restrictions.

“Boaters have personal responsibility for their safety,” said Ann Van Buren, boating education coordinator for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. “And that’s apparently what the Idaho public wants.”

Bishop died when her personal watercraft collided with one operated by a friend. It was her first ride on one of the machines.

Bishop and her friends received some pointers on how to operate the craft on Tuesday, Ada County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chuck Howard said Wednesday. “They had some instruction, but nothing formal,” he said.

The sheriff’s department was still investigating the accident.