A Dublin man who drowned after falling from a high-powered jet-ski had never used one before, Dublin City Coroner's Court has heard. The Kawasaki machine which Mr Robert Fox fell from was not seaworthy and should not have been used by a novice, a mechanic told the jury.
Mr Fox (23), from St Etna Road, Cabra, was using the machine in Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Co Dublin, at around 6p.m. on October 22nd last when the incident occurred.
A former senior motorcycle mechanic with Kawasaki Distributors, which imported the jet-ski, told the jury the 650cc twin-cylinder model was used by experts in competitions. Mr Paul Ryan said there were no instruction courses for such machines in Ireland. He said the model was difficult to use and hard to remount if the driver fell off.
The jury heard that the machine was owned by friends of Mr Fox. He had watched them taking it out on the water before but had never himself used it. Mr Fox's friends told the court he was a regular swimmer and a good motorcyclist.
One of the jet-ski's part-owners, Mr Robert Redmond, said it had been "giving trouble" but he had fixed it and decided to take it out because it was a nice evening.
The machine failed to start when put in the water and had to be jump-started from a car battery. Mr Redmond and another man used the machine before Mr Fox took it out.
Mr Redmond said he explained to Mr Fox how to use the controls and demonstrated steering it. He saw Mr Fox out in the bay and then he later saw the nose of the machine in the air, which indicated a failed attempt to remount it.
Questioned by the coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, Mr Redmond said the estuary was ideal for jet-skiing, as he knew it was possible to stand up in any part of it.
Mr Fox's body was found by a rescue team a few hours later at Kilcrea beach in Swords. He was still wearing his life jacket. A post-mortem showed he had drowned. The only other injury he had was a superficial abrasion on one ear.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental drowning and recommended that people buying jet-ski machines should be obliged to have a licence and a minimum period of experience.
It also recommended that rescue services be on standby when jet-skis are in use. Dr Farrell said he would bring these recommendations to the attention of the authorities.