A French mother met a tragic end last weekend after her 16-year-old twin daughters rammed into her jet ski while the family was on an outing in Arcachon Bay.
When the incident occurred, the family had been jet skiing under the supervision of an instructor in the bay, located on the southwestern edge of France on the Atlantic Ocean about 41 miles southwest of Bordeaux and about 116 miles southwest of Angoulême, where the family was reportedly from.
The mother had been on her jet ski with her partner, while her twin daughters had been on their own jet ski. Chaos ensued after both collided, with the woman reportedly suffering from head injuries.
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Her partner, 48, and twin daughters were minorly injured but were taken to the hospital as well for treatment for them and their shock. The 47-year-old woman died a few hours later after succumbing to her injuries.
In order to ride a jet ski in France, you must be 16 years old and have a boating license, or you must be supervised by a qualified instructor, as the family was on Sunday. French publication Sud Ouest reported that both teens were legally able to operate the jet ski.
The collision happened at approximately 7 p.m. local time, Sud Ouest reported, and it resulted in the ejection of all parties from the jet skis. All the parties were taken to a hospital in Bordeaux, the woman by helicopter.
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It wasn't clear whether the family was wearing helmets. Sud Ouest reported that jet ski rentals in Arcachon are usually speed-restricted. It wasn't clear, either, how fast the devices were going. The publication also reported that no one is being charged in the death of the woman, as no one was found at fault for a crime.
Jet ski accidents are rare in France, but they're becoming more frequent, Sud Ouest reported. As many as 55 rescue operations were conducted in 2023 after jet ski accidents compared to just 34 in 2022. And that's just on the Atlantic side of the country from the small commune of Penmarc'h in northwestern France to the border with Spain, a nearly 480-mile stretch serviced by CROSS-A Etel, a coast guard service.
Jet ski regulations have become more and more common in recent years, too, with Sud Ouest reporting that jet skis can't be launched from their slipways between June 15 and September 15 each year in Arcachan "to preserve the peace and public security within the port's perimeter."
Blowback from private stakeholders has been loud, but the regulations seem to be there to stay — but whether they'll impact safety as well as mitigate the noise complaints the area has been receiving from the machines remains to be seen. It's not clear whether the regulations could have prevented what happened to the mother and her family.
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