You have to pay attention: Police sergeant encourages safe boating as temperatures rise [Video]

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – As temperatures continue to climb, more boaters are expected to take to the lakes and waterways in and around the Charlotte area.

Gaston County Police Sgt. Eric Knupp discussed the importance of safe boating in the summer months.

According to data from the United States Coast Guard, there were 4,040 boating accidents in 2022. In those accidents, 2,222 people were hurt and 636 people were killed, according to the data.

Knupp is in charge of the GCPD’s marine unit. He said he and his colleagues spend the summer months patrolling Lake Wylie and responding to emergencies on the water.

“We’ve had people who have gone in the water and have been struck by props,” he said. “We’ve had boats that have run into other boats because of people not paying attention to what they’re doing.”

WBTV covers emergencies on the water every summer. In March 2023, the body …