Two men who were thrown from a boat in Toledo Bend are sending a message of safety ahead of the 4th of July holiday.
Blake Broussard and his father say a simple mistake on the water could have cost them their lives. They shared their story with KATC in hopes that it would help someone else.
Broussard and his dad took to Toledo Bend for a tournament. His boat was equipped with new cameras, and what they would “catch on camera” is something no one was expecting.
“I slowed down a little bit and slowing down at that speed and that angle was a stretch and it just tossed us out,” Broussard explained.
Blake was driving full speed when he and his father were tossed. While they were treading water, the boat continued to spin in a circle. He says his one regret was not having his kill switch attached.
“It was just one of those things where you get up out of the seat enough times and sometimes you forget. Most of the times I wear it like a seat belt, but in this instance, I was preoccupied or distracted by the new cameras and looking for stuff, so I forgot to hook it up,” Broussard said.
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says a kill switch is required for all vessels with a “killer handle” that is less than 16 feet. All other vessels are recommended to use their switch.
Blake and his father were rescued, but Blake was determined to get his boat under control. He made the decision to make a jump from one vessel to another. Although this accident happened in 2018, Blake said it took a year to gain the courage to post the video.
“I was really nervous to post. Just fear of the comments and what kind of reaction I was going to get from it. I just had some family members say maybe there is one person in a million that sees it and actually changes their behavior,” Broussard said.
You can see his full video here.
