When someone falls into the water it usually means they are entering a very unforgiving environment that could soon create a life or death situation. That is why you need to think and act quickly in order to try and bring the situation under control as best as possible.
In such a pressing situation it can often result in a compensation claim made via some trustworthy maritime accident attorneys who know what to do in these challenging circumstances.
Before you get to that point you need to have a clear understanding of what sort of protocols you should be following the moment a passenger falls overboard.
No time to waste
It might seem an obvious thing to say considering the gravity of the situation but there really is no time to waste when someone falls into the water.
If the water is particularly cold you have the added risk of hypothermia to add to the equation. That is on top of the threat to life that comes into focus when someone has fallen overboard and could easily drown if they are not rescued or helped immediately.
The U.S Coast Guard accident figures for drowning accidents make grim reading, and in 2019, for instance, there were just under three hundred people who fell overboard. Only 40% of these people managed to survive the incident. That means that 60% of them lost their lives as a result of falling into the water.
That is why you need to ensure you have emergency training and know what to do as soon as someone falls overboard.
Try to remain calm
If you can remain calm and focused on rescuing the person in the water this will help them to stay as calm as possible under the circumstances.
Your first step is to alert everyone in the immediate vicinity by calling out “man overboard”.
Bring the boat to a stop as soon as possible if it is not already stationary. This helps you to concentrate on getting the person out of the water and reduces the risk of a propellor injury.
If your boat is equipped with a Man Overboard Button (MOB) this needs to be deployed straight away. The MOB creates a GPS marker, which can be critical in locating the victim.
Make sure you throw a lifejacket to them as a matter of urgency, if they don’t already have one at this point.
Think about the current
If it is possible, you should try to get the boat in a downwind position as this gives you a greater element of control in your rescue mission.
Being downwind will usually allow the opportunity of the wind and waves to bring you and the victim together so that you might be able to bring them back aboard as safely as possible.
Do not enter the water yourself when attempting your rescue, even if you are a confident swimmer.
If there is more than one of you left onboard work together as a team and liaise with the coast guard. There is no time to lose when someone falls overboard and if you know what to do in such a difficult situation it could make all the difference to the odds of survival.
