Boating, Swimming Misjudgments Can Lead To Death, Long Island Hospital Officials Warn

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- On the eve of the first day of summer, hospital leaders on Long Island sent a warning about the anticipated spike in deadly boating and swimming accidents.

CBS2's Jennifer McLogan met with a victim of a summertime tragedy.

Gina Lieneck and her family were boating back from Fire Island on an August evening in 2005 when they were broadsided in the water.

Lieneck and her husband barely survived. Their 11-year-old daughter, Brianna, did not.

"I hope that God took her right away. It was just a nightmare because we were so critically injured ourselves," Lieneck said.

Brianna's neck was broken and her organs were crushed.

As to those in the other boat, Lieneck said: "They all admitted to drinking. It's all in the police statements. Speeding -- they said that they were at full throttle; hydroplaning."

On the eve of summer 2017, Lieneck is urging that everyone help families stay safe. And doctors at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow – the closest Level 1 trauma center to busy Jones Beach with its oceanfront, boardwalk, theatre and boating – warned everyone not to fall victim to tragic, but unavoidable mishaps.

"People are having a good time out on the water, and they forget -- alcohol still has same effect on the water as it would in a car," said NUMC emergency center Dr. Livia Santiago.

"Making sure when kids go out on the water or near the pools that they have safety jackets with them -- any sort of flotation devices," said Dr. Kelley Sookraj of the NUMC trauma center.

The medical staff pointed to the chaos following an Oyster Bay fireworks display on July 4, 2012. A lack of lifejackets and overcrowding in unstable waters led to the drowning deaths of three innocent children.

"Among children, traumatic injuries normally double during the summer months," said NUMC President Dr. Victor Politi.

U.S. Coast Guard Jones Beach tells CBS2 that nationwide, there were 701 deadly boating accidents last year – the highest in five years.

There has been some progress in tightening water rules, but more needs to be done, said Lieneck – fighting in the name of her daughter.

"I feel maybe her life was taken to make change, and all the other senseless lives that were lost out there," Lieneck said.

Following recent boating tragedies, laws now require powerboat operators pass a boating and water safety course. Capacity limit information is also to be displayed on boats, visible for all passengers to see.

Lieneck is pushing for expanded laws regarding weight restrictions, licensing, boat traffic control, and speed and boating while intoxicated penalties.