Another kill cord death?

Coroner investigating how man died after being thrown from 16ft vessel

A man has died after being thrown from his motor boat off the Welsh coast in what appears to be a possible kill cord-related accident.

Bill Davies was killed and his best friend Alan Jones hospitalised after both of them fell overboard while the boat was still under way. The 16ft motor boat, a CJR Dory called Cygnet, powered by a 60hp Selva outboard, was spotted circling at speed with its engine running about 500m from the shore at Aberystwyth.

Neither police nor the RNLI have yet released details of how Mr Davies was killed or whether the men were wearing lifejackets or a kill cord. It hasn’t even been confirmed that the boat was fitted with a kill cord or if it was in use at the time. However, video footage of the boat circling out of control while the RNLI attempt to stop it brings to mind the tragic Padstow accident in which a father and daughter were killed after being thrown from their high-powered RIB in May 2013.

“There’s an ongoing investigation on behalf of the Coroner so we’re unable to provide more detail at this time,” said a Dyfed-powys Police spokesman.

The RNLI lifeboat was launched during the incident and the crew quickly pulled the men to safety.

“Volunteers immediately started first-aid treatment on one of the casualties as they made their way back to shore,” said an RNLI spokeswoman. “First-aid treatment was continued on dry land until the Welsh Ambulance Service teams arrived,” she said.

The crew brought the circling speedboat under control and towed it into harbour.

Mr Jones’ wife, Amanda, said her “beautiful, brave and amazing” husband had been left “in pieces” after losing his best friend.

MBY has been running an ongoing campaign to reduce the number of kill cord-related accidents either by reminding people to wear them or redesigning the mechanism itself.

A kill cord, or ‘engine safety cutout switch’, is a lanyard designed to stop the engine if the helmsperson is thrown from their seat by a sudden manoeuvre, such as hitting the back of a wave or a loss of grip at the stern. Despite repeated publicity, accidents continue to occur.

A driverless motor boat was spotted circling at speed off the coast at Aberystwyth