Recent event refreshes need for lake safety

Hundreds of people every summer travel to Lake Monroe for boating, swimming, fishing and other outdoor activities.\nHowever, despite how harmless these activities may seem, a certain level of danger is still involved. \n“You have to respect the water,” said Jenny Shedd, owner of Lake Monroe Boat Rental at Paynetown State Recreation Area. “The lake is different than a pool would be. You need to be cautious.”\nUnfortunately, accidents on the lake are nothing new.\n“It’s not like it happens left and right,” Shedd said. “It’s isolated. But it does happen.”\nRecent events have refreshed the need for people to be aware of how to be safe while out enjoying the water.\nJacob D. Snyder, 18, of Monrovia, Ind., drowned while boating with friends July 2. The group had rented a pontoon boat from Lake Monroe Boat Rental and was planning on hooking an inner tube to the back of the boat, said Angie Goldman, Indiana Conservation Public Information Officer. One of the girls on the boat jumped into the water after the inner tube, but high winds on the lake quickly separated the girl and the boat. Snyder and another member of the party jumped in after to assist the girl as she started to struggle, but they also started to struggle in the water. A passing jet skier was able to pluck the girl and the other man from the water, but Snyder went under the water and never resurfaced, Goldman said. None of the three were wearing a life jacket.\n“There’s a heightened awareness already because of what’s happened,” Shedd said.\nBoth Goldman and Shedd cited life jackets as the thing that would have made a key difference in the accident. Although Shedd said enough were provided on the boat when the pontoon departed that morning, no one in the water decided to wear one.\n“A lot of these actions can be avoided,” Shedd said. Lake Monroe Boat Rental specifically has its own safety measures before rented water craft are allowed to go out onto the lake, including a safety check-out sheet and enough life jackets on the boat for all on board. An employee is also required to go over the check-out sheet with whoever will be in charge of driving the boat. “We will continue doing what we’ve done for 26 years ... emphasize safety,” Shedd said. “A person can only absorb so much.”\nShedd went on to say there has not been a drowning or other major accident involving a boat rented from her company since 1995.\nThe nature of the lake is also much different than that of a controlled area like a swimming pool, Shedd said. Especially this summer with higher water levels due to flooding, strong currents beneath the surface can easily pull someone away quickly. Winds whipping up the water can also make it difficult to keep one’s head above the surface when treading water, and can tire even strong swimmers out quickly. \n“It’s a wake up call for the people,” Shedd said. “Before the holiday weekend especially.”\nLake Monroe Boat Rental usually rents out about 50 different types of watercraft every week, ranging from pontoon boats to kayaks.