Dad’s anguish over boat hit-run horror
A GOLD Coast dad is pleading for the community’s help to track down a rogue boatie who left his family injured and traumatised in a hit-run horror.
Sovereign Islands resident Jacques Pels said his wife and son were “nearly killed” when they were hit by a boat from behind while riding a jet ski just after 1pm on Australia Day.
He said the boat’s skipper did not even stop to help.
Audrey Pels and her 16-yearold son Jason were both struck in the head by the boat’s prow.
Audrey was pinned to the jet ski’s handlebars while Jason was thrown into the water.
“They nearly killed my family,” Mr Pels said.
“Had it been 20cm towards the other side – they would have been fully under the boat.”
The incident happened after the family set off on their jet skis to meet friends for Australia Day celebrations at Jumpinpin, near South Stradbroke Island.
Jacques, his youngest son and daughter were on one jet ski, while Audrey and their other son Jason were travelling about 80m behind on the other.
The group were on the Broadwater about four minutes north of Sovereign Islands when Mr Pels looked back to check on his wife.
“I saw a boat to her left, maybe 70m behind her. It seemed to be overtaking,” he said.
“He was ploughing. He must have been doing 28 to 30 knots.”
Mr Pels did a U-turn to try to reach his wife.
Then he heard his son shout: “Dad, they’re hitting mum”.
“The picture I still have in my head is my son’s legs up in the air against the bow of the boat,” he said.
“The whole jet ski went under water.”
The rear seat of the watercraft was crushed – their daughter had asked to sit there before they set out on the water.
Mr Pels made a last-minute decision to put her on the back of his jet ski, potentially saving her life.
“I don’t even want to think about what that would have looked like,” he said.
Mr Pels stood up on his jet ski and shouted to get the boat skipper’s attention, but it kept going.
He then turned his attention to helping his wife and son.
They were battered and bruised from the ordeal, but suffered no major injury.
A passing tinny and a police boat stopped to help and look for the boat. Their search proved fruitless due to the amount of boats on the water that day.
Mr Pels said police were then called away from the job after a seaplane crashed at Jumpinpin.
The Sovereign Islands resident said he filed an incident report with the water police and wanted the boatie responsible to be “held accountable”.
“I’m so acutely aware of how bloody lucky I am,” he said.
“I could have lost my wife and son in seconds.”
He pleaded for any boaties or residents with footage of the area between 1pm and 1.30pm on Australia Day to come forward.
Mr Pels described the white boat as 38 to 45ft long.
The boat skipper was wearing a light blue T-shirt, and the passengers included two blonde women and a boy about 10 years old who witnessed the incident.
He did not see the boat’s name or registration.
Anyone with information is urged to email: Jpels@golfprogroup.com