Lake-Goers Urged To Make Sure Boats Are Secure

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Last weekend, many Minnesotans spent their holiday on the water, but for three groups of boaters, their Fourth of July plans never got off the ground near Lake Minnetonka.

Their boats weren't properly secured on their trailers and fell off at intersections around Spring Park and Mound.

"It's an expensive mistake, but it's also a safety concern," said Mound Fire Chief Gregory Pederson.

Pederson and 10 firefighters were called to help assist when a driver hit a curb at a Mound intersection, which caused the pontoon to bounce off the trailer and into the roadway.

"I would say the boat likely wasn't strapped down properly," Pederson said.

Just a day before in Spring Park, a runabout was grounded before it ever touched the water. The boats slid off the trailer and into the middle of an intersection.

"They failed to remember to secure front strap of trailer and it wasn't hooked on at all," Pederson said.

Earlier in the week, another boat slid from the back of trailer. It is the type of error Pederson sees at least once a year in his lake community.

"Often times, they think they're going a short distance and they can go without securing boat, but it doesn't work out so good," Pederson said. "It's probably not as unusual as you think."

The cost to lift a boat back onto the trailer can start around $400.

Then, there's the added price of fixing any damage caused when it hits the ground.