The internet is filled with boating mishaps, and while some of them can be funny (novices who can't back up boat trailers), some are no joke. The one below is the scariest boating accident I’ve ever seen online.

The YouTube video was posted by Michael Broussard on April 21, 2019, but the 4:42-minute clip isn’t from this year. In the YouTube description, he wrote:

“My dad and I were fishing in Toledo Bend in 2018 when this occurred. I bypassed donning my usual safety precautions because I was distracted and it almost cost us our lives. Despite having been on the water my whole life, I didn't truly know how unforgiving the water could be and how quickly things can go wrong. ALWAYS wear your kill switch, life jacket and other PPE and know your equipment! Big thanks to the guys who picked us up that day, they probably saved our lives.”

Note: This clip has nearly 1,150,000 views on YouTube, and all the drama was captured on a Garmin VIRB.

My suggestion is you watch the video in its entirety, then read my comments below, then watch it a second time. A lot happens fast, and it’s nearly impossible to see everything in real time during the initial viewing.

In my opinion, Michael is going way too fast for navigating a fairly narrow waterway that is marked with buoys. Driving 30-35 mph would have been much safer for making these turns.

He’s going 62 mph when he takes one hand off the wheel to tweak the map on his boat electronics. Of course, he must take his eyes off what’s ahead of his boat while he focuses for a moment on the map. This is akin to texting while driving your vehicle on a highway. Not good.

With the boat traveling 63 mph, you can see Dad trying to help his son make the required left turn. But the son doesn’t see Dad’s arm signals because he’s distracted by his electronics.

By the time Michael gets two hands on the wheel and visually sees his situation, it’s almost too late. I say “almost” because he had time — 2 maybe 3 seconds — to simply back off immediately on the throttle. Instead, Michael tries to steer left to avoid the oncoming buoy. He turns too fast, which causes his dad and himself to be ejected from the boat. You can even see the G-Force data for yourself on the screen.

As you re-watch the video, pay attention to the camera showing what’s ahead of the boat. The water is almost glass calm, and the bass boat doesn’t encounter any unexpected boat waves. 

Michael misjudges his distance from the buoy, realizes he’s about to hit it with his boat, swerves left and the two are thrown from the boat. Now this is important: The clock shows the anglers hit the water at 9:10:37.     

From Bad to Worse

After the two fishermen are in the water, however, the real danger for everyone who is on the lake and on shore is just beginning. While Michael’s boat slows to 9 mph for a moment, it immediately begins to pick up speed again. Why? Because Michael didn’t have the outboard motor’s kill switch attached to his body. If he had, then the kill switch would have immediately shut down the motor when Michael was thrown from the boat.

As the boat begins circling counterclockwise, you can see the two anglers floating nearby. Their inflatable PFDs worked, and you can easily spot the high-vis yellow material. A black object of some sort was thrown from the boat and is floating nearby, too.

The driverless boat passes by the two anglers at least four times before it begins straightening out slightly and picking up speed. By the 9:12:00 mark, the boat is up to 22 mph. By the 9:12:23 mark, it has reached 30 mph. Michael and his dad have been in the water for about 2 minutes.

The boat is traveling at 29 to 30 mph with no one at the steering wheel. Not only is this tremendously dangerous for Michael and his father, who are still in the water, but any nearby boaters or persons on shore could also be hit.

Eventually you see a Tracker bass boat show up behind the runaway watercraft. The driver of the Tracker is someone who came to assist the two anglers in the water. The guy crouching in the bow of the Tracker is Michael Broussard. As the video shows, he barely lands on the rear casting deck after making his rescue jump.

Note: The clock reads 9:21:54 at the time of the jump, which means Michael’s boat has been running at 29-30 mph without a driver for 11 minutes and 17 seconds!

Michael pulls back on the throttle and then stops the outboard. The video shows he understands how lucky he is for this situation to end without serious injury or loss of life. His dad finally rejoins him in the boat, and it’s clear other boaters were also assisting as much as possible.

Lessons to be learned: Always wear your PFD, always use a kill switch and slow down! If you need to adjust something on your GPS/mapping, slow down (come off plane), make the change, then get back up to speed. Take the few extra seconds to be safe. The fish will still be there when you arrive.