For those of you who don't turn your lights on, this story is for you. Maybe this accident could have been avoided if the jet-ski had lights on it:

http://www.amnews.com/stories/2010/07/03/loc.129956.sto

HERRINGTON LAKE — This year’s July Fourth weekend got off to a somber start Friday night, when a 13-year-old Danville girl suffered severe injuries after the Jet Ski she was riding on Herrington Lake collided with a 17-foot boat.

Officials would not release the name of the girl, but Boyle County Sheriff Marty Elliott said both of her legs were “apparently crushed.” The girl was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center after the incident. Her condition was unavailable Saturday.

The collision occurred at dark, just after 9:30 p.m., in between Chenault Bridge and Bryant’s Camp Marina.

The driver of the boat, Sammy Jason Hackler, 39, of 475 Goodlett Road in Salvisa, has been charged with second-degree assault, driving under the influence, and three counts of wanton endangerment. He is currently being held at the Boyle County Detention Center on a $25,000 cash bond.

Fish and Wildlife Officer Greg Hill, who is handling the investigation, said the collision threw the girl from the Jet Ski and also ejected all three people in the boat into the water. The Jet Ski was very badly damaged and the boat was flipped upside down and nearly sunk, Hill said.

None of the people riding in the boat was injured. Emergency responders worked the scene for hours, some staying until 5 a.m. or later.

Hackler was charged with second-degree assault because a boat can be considered a deadly weapon, Hill said.

“I can’t prove that it was intentional,” he said. “But he definitely used that boat and it caused serious physical injury to her.”

Hill said he cannot release more specific details concerning how the collision happened because it is still under investigation. Accident reconstruction began Saturday and was expected to take a couple days, Hill said.

Hill said the incident underscores the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s push to make sure people behave safely on the water this holiday weekend. If everyone who goes out on the lake would refrain from drinking alcohol and wear a life jacket, it would reduce a lot of problems, he said.

“Two things happen when somebody drowns. Either they weren’t wearing a life jacket, or they’ve been drinking. It’s never anything else,” Hill said. “We’re just really trying to stress that these people don’t need to be out here driving a boat and drinking.”