FISHERMEN MEET DEATH JUMPING HIGH DAM
DESCRIPTION: Two fishermen must have thought that they could jump the 55' high Holtwood Dam on Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River in a speedboat. On May 28, 1993 Lloyd Snyder, 35, and John Dommel, 34, both experienced fishermen, were last seen speeding towards the center of the dam. A witness said that the men sounded drunk; one was operating the boat and the other was urging him on. Their mangled fishing boat was found pinned on rocks below the dam; their bodies were recovered a week later.
SOURCE: Lancaster New Era via Brit Kilbourne
ANALYSIS: Alcohol is an insidious thing. It reduces inhibitions it clouds your judgement. You feel capable of doing things you never would try sober, and I suspect this was true of the doomed pair. When intoxicated, you cannot accurately evaluate your own performance and capabilities. Drinking has no place in risk sports or in the operation of powerboats.
