No life jackets in most LI boating deaths

Thirteen boaters died last year in the waters off Long Island and 11 of them were not wearing life jackets, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Friday.

The safety concern was mirrored regionally, with the Coast Guard citing the absence of life jackets in 44 of 51 2011 fatalities in six Northeast states.

"It's extremely important to get these statistics out, but it's even more important for all of us to realize that these aren't just numbers," said Lt. Joe Klinker, spokesman for the 1st Coast Guard District, which includes Long Island, New York City and parts of New Jersey.

"They were friends, parents, spouses, sons and daughters," he said. "They were neighbors in a very close maritime community."

On Aug. 12, New York City police officer Patrick Luca, 41, of Smithtown, was kayaking with his son Caden, 5, on the Nissequogue River near Smithtown Bay when both ended up in the water. Caden wore a life jacket and was rescued by a passing boater. Luca had no life jacket on when his body was found.

The tragedy led the Coast Guard and its volunteers to conduct a national campaign to persuade boaters to wear flotation devices. Coast Guard officials have estimated that about 80 percent of boaters who die could have been saved by life jackets.

There were 51 Northeast fatalities in 2010 and 50 in 2009, records show, but details on boaters with life jackets were not available. Long Island breakdowns for past years were not available Friday from the Coast Guard.

Nine of the 13 Long Island boating fatalities, which also cover the Long Island Sound near Connecticut, were due to people falling overboard, the Coast Guard said.

Two of the deaths involved capsized or sinking vessels, one involved a collision and another was a water-skiing accident, the report said.