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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants the state to gain regulatory authority over boats operating in caves and similar waterways after a fatal tour boat accident this week
Water reflects off the rock of the man-made Lockport Caves in Lockport, NY, on Aug. 21, 2014. A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized on Monday, Jun. 12, 2023 while touring the historic underground cave system built to drain water from the Erie Canal below the town of Lockport in western New York, killing one person who became trapped under the overturned ship, officials said. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)
The associated press
ALBANY, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday she wants the state to gain regulatory authority over boats operating in caves and similar waterways after a fatal accident involving a tour boat in an underground water tunnel near the Erie Canal.
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation regulates commercial boats, Hochul’s office said, but has no authority to inspect those operating on unnavigable waters, such as in privately owned Lockport Cave.
The Democrat will propose legislation to close that loophole, her office said.
Earlier this week, a 65-year-old man died and nearly a dozen other passengers were taken to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, when a flat-bottomed boat with 29 people on board capsized while in western New York’s historic man-made cave system.
After the June 12 accident at the Lockport Cave, a personnel department confirmed that a similar incident had occurred during a 2015 outing for customers and staff.
“As we mourn the loss of life caused by the Lockport Caves boat crash, my government is proposing legislation to prevent future tragedies,” Hochul said in a statement. “The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has the resources to keep us safe and this legislation will ensure they have the legal authority to use them to keep passengers on boats in caves safe.
Tour boat fatal accident causes New York
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