Personal Watercraft

Two men involved in a July incident on the Potomac River at Dam 5 have pleaded guilty to Maryland Department of Natural Resources charges. One of the men - Ryan A. Myers, 22, of Clear Spring - went over the dam while he was riding a motorized personal watercraft. Myers pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of operating a vessel in a prohibited area. He was fined $300 plus $22.50 in court costs, according to online court records. He was sentenced to four months in jail, but the time was suspended.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A Clear Spring man who fell about 20 feet Monday night when he went over Dam 5 on the Potomac River on a personal watercraft was cited with three violations and could face jail time as a second offender, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Ryan A. Myers, 22, was cited Thursday night with negligent operation of a personal watercraft and operating in a restricted area, both as a second offender. "We cited him last year on those two violations," Turner said by telephone Saturday afternoon.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A Clear Spring man who fell about 20 feet Monday night when he went over Dam 5 on the Potomac River in a personal watercraft was cited with three violations and could face jail time as a second offender, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Ryan A. Myers, 22, was cited Thursday night with negligent operation of a personal watercraft and operating in a restricted area, both as a second offender. "We cited him last year on those two violations," Turner said by telephone Saturday afternoon.

WILLIAMSPORT - Dozens of people spent their Fourth of July trying to beat the heat by going boating at Dam No. 4 during the day. But with so many people using one boat launch, safety was a main concern with many of the people spending their holiday on the C&O Canal. "We wear life jackets, and we pay attention to where the boats are around us," said boat passenger Victoria Thomas of Deep Creek Lake. Eleven people died and 121 people were injured in the 215 boating accidents that occurred last year in Maryland.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A Clear Spring man who went over Dam 5 of the Potomac River in a personal watercraft on Monday didn't heed warning buoys, a police spokesman said Tuesday. After the fall, Ryan A. Myers, 22, got back on his watercraft and rode it some more, then walked back to where he and another male had gone in the river, Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police said. Myers was flown in a state police helicopter to Washington County Hospital, but did not appear to have serious injuries, Turner said.

Thelma Barney returned with news after skimming the water on a Sea-Doo personal watercraft. Hands clasped around the driver, Timothy Berry, Barney said she had broken a record among her group for the number of times riding the Sea-Doo. "Four years a row," Berry shouted out. Not bad for a 91-year-old. Barney was one of several seniors from Williamsport Retirement Village to go for a ride on a personal watercraft Friday on the Potomac River. The outing to the Dam Four area of the C&O Canal National Historic Park is an annual event.

scottb@herald-mail.com Thelma Barney, 88, has a surprise for her children: She overcame her fear of water and cruised the Potomac River on a personal watercraft. She was one of about a dozen Williamsport Retirement Village Assisted Living residents to take a ride on the river Thursday. Barney wanted to go, she said, "for excitement and to surprise my kids. I'm afraid of water. They won't believe it. " Barney said she always has been afraid of water, and before Thursday had never been out in a boat or any type of watercraft.

How would you like to make $7.5 million and be sitting in the calaboose? That's the situation Baltimore Orioles ace pitcher Sir Sidney Ponson finds himself in after, I am not kidding, threatening a judge with a personal watercraft. Right out of the chute, I need to defend my decision to use the words "ace pitcher" and "Sidney Ponson" in the same sentence. But after all, this is a humor column. And for those unfamiliar with the baseball universe, yes, he does wear the title of "Sir Sidney" because he has been officially knighted as "Knight in the Order of the Dutch Royal House" in his home country of Aruba.

- Tell someone where you'll be. Before you leave on a ride, tell someone where you are going and when you will return. If you run into problems this will help authorities find you. - Never go out alone; use the buddy system. Ride with someone in a boat or on another personal watercraft. - Know your limits and ride according to your abilities, not anyone else's. - Don't over-do the first few rides. Personal Water Crafts are light and agile, but they can wear you down physically.

An 8-year-old boy and his mother were taken to different hospitals Sunday with nonlife-threatening injuries after the personal watercraft on which they were riding went over Dam No. 5 on the Potomac River, Clear Spring Fire Sgt. Cody Hunter said. The incident was reported around 3:10 p.m. at Dam No. 5 south of Clear Spring, according to Washington County Emergency Services. Despite signs in the area warning people of the dam, the 28-year-old Germantown, Md., woman — who was operating the watercraft — was unfamiliar with the structure, Sgt. Brian Albert of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

CLEAR SPRING -- Two personal watercraft riders collided on the Potomac River on Saturday night in the Four Locks area, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Albert. The two riders were traveling up the river about 7:15 p.m. The rider traveling in front moved his watercraft to the left and the other watercraft collided with it, Albert said. The driver of the watercraft that was struck, Russell Burgess, 36, of Hagerstown, suffered a compound fracture to the ankle and was transported to Washington County Hospital, Albert said.

Two men involved in a July incident on the Potomac River at Dam 5 have pleaded guilty to Maryland Department of Natural Resources charges. One of the men - Ryan A. Myers, 22, of Clear Spring - went over the dam while he was riding a motorized personal watercraft. Myers pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of operating a vessel in a prohibited area. He was fined $300 plus $22.50 in court costs, according to online court records. He was sentenced to four months in jail, but the time was suspended.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A Clear Spring man who fell about 20 feet Monday night when he went over Dam 5 on the Potomac River in a personal watercraft was cited with three violations and could face jail time as a second offender, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Ryan A. Myers, 22, was cited Thursday night with negligent operation of a personal watercraft and operating in a restricted area, both as a second offender. "We cited him last year on those two violations," Turner said by telephone Saturday afternoon.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A Clear Spring man who fell about 20 feet Monday night when he went over Dam 5 on the Potomac River on a personal watercraft was cited with three violations and could face jail time as a second offender, said Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Ryan A. Myers, 22, was cited Thursday night with negligent operation of a personal watercraft and operating in a restricted area, both as a second offender. "We cited him last year on those two violations," Turner said by telephone Saturday afternoon.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Ryan A. Myers figures he fell about 20 feet Monday night when he went over Dam 5 on the Potomac River. Myers, 22, of Clear Spring, said he got too close to the dam while riding a motorized personal watercraft. As the watercraft fell, he jumped off, he said. When he landed, he was conscious and felt OK, he said. His watercraft was near him, and he got on it and rode to shore, he said. Then, he walked barefoot two miles back to Four Locks, where he and his friend entered the water earlier on separate watercraft.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A Clear Spring man who went over Dam 5 of the Potomac River in a personal watercraft on Monday didn't heed warning buoys, a police spokesman said Tuesday. After the fall, Ryan A. Myers, 22, got back on his watercraft and rode it some more, then walked back to where he and another male had gone in the river, Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police said. Myers was flown in a state police helicopter to Washington County Hospital, but did not appear to have serious injuries, Turner said.

Feeling adventurous for Labor Day weekend? Or perhaps you want to take in a good concert or check out personal watercraft stunts? Enjoy the unofficial end of summer with a holiday weekend road trip. Here are some Labor Day weekend events for your family to consider: Get rolling at Cedar Point Check out Maverick, the newest roller coaster at Cedar Point on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Maverick opened in May with 4,450 feet of track, a 100-foot vertical drop, two 360-degree corkscrew rolls, a 400-foot-long tunnel and two launch areas with a top speed of approximately 70 mph. Cedar Point claims to be home to more roller coasters, 17, than any other park in the world.

Williamsport - Thelma Barney returned with news after skimming the water on a Sea-Doo personal watercraft. Hands clasped around the driver, Timothy Berry, Barney said she had broken a record among her group for the number of times riding the Sea-Doo. "Four years a row," Berry shouted out. Not bad for a 91-year-old. Barney was one of several seniors from Williamsport Retirement Village to go for a ride on a personal watercraft Friday on the Potomac River. The outing to the Dam No. 4 area of the C&O Canal National Historic Park is an annual event.