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Title of bill
An act to amend the canal law, in relation to requiring the accessibility of ring life buoys on piers in the canal system
Purpose
To provide safety equipment for all those working on and enjoying the canal system
Summary of provisions
Requires ring life buoys to be installed on each pier, wharf, lock, and dock of the canal system.
Existing law
There is no current requirement.
Justification
Aaron Teater, like many residents of the hundreds of surrounding communities and countless visitors to the Erie Canal, enjoyed fishing in the Canal. He often chose a spot on a pier in Sylvan Beach Park. On a sunny afternoon in May, Aaron was sitting on that pier when his tackle box, full of heirloom lures given to him by his deceased grandfather who taught him how to fish, fell off the pier into the canal. A good swimmer, Aaron dove in after it to rescue those precious memories. Icy cold water and a strong undercurrent pulled Aaron away from the pier once he retrieved his tackle box.
Desperately trying to swim to a spot on the pier where he could hoist himself up, he struggled against the current. His mother reached out with an extendable fishing net, the only piece of equipment she could find to help him. With no rope and no life preserving equipment, the fishing net alone was not able to reach Aaron, who tragically drowned in the canal that afternoon.
His mother, who had no other options and was helpless against the current and temperature of the canal, watched her only son drown. Aaron did not have any life saving equipment or flotation devices on him or with him as he was sitting on the pier fishing and there were none in sight on the pier. This legislation would require ring life buoys to be located on every pier, wharf, lock, and dock to be used as emergency equipment in the event that anyone who, like Aaron, may fall into the Canal while working on or enjoying the historic canal system.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
180 days from which it became law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.