Woman dies in family jet ski accident in south-west France
She reportedly lost control and crashed into the craft her daughters were riding
Some communes in the bay have banned jet skis
Aerial-motion/Shutterstock
A woman was killed in a jet ski accident in south-west France on Sunday (August 4), after her craft collided with another piloted by her two daughters.
The 47-year-old woman was riding on a jet ski with her partner, a 48-year-old man, in the Bassin d’Arcachon, a popular tourist destination in Gironde.
They were riding alongside a jet ski carrying their two 16-year old daughters, when the two vessels collided in the water.
The precise cause of the accident is unknown, but early reports suggest one of the riders may have lost control of their vehicle, causing it to veer off course and directly into the other.
Emergency services were called to assist, including a rescue helicopter and gendarme boat patrols, however the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The three other family members were taken to a hospital in Bordeaux, with the father also sustaining injuries. The two daughters are severely injured, but their situation is not critical.
The local public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the accident.
Jet ski accidents on rise
Accidents involving people riding jet skis are increasingly commonplace in French coastal resorts.
In 2023, the emergency services were called to 55 rescue operations involving a jet ski, compared to 34 in 2022.
The local authorities in Arcachon have banned the launching of jet skis from beaches and pontoons between June 15 and September 15.
The jet skis that crashed in the bay on August 4 had launched from a different commune.
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