SARASOTA – In November, a Sarasota youth sailor was fatally slashed by a spinning boat propeller after his coach triggered the throttle and tumbled overboard.
Ten-year-old Ethan Isaacs’ death has led to a wrongful death lawsuit by his family and a proposed bill in his name called “Ethan’s Law,” authored by Sarasota state Rep. Fiona McFarland.
The proposed legislation would require the pilots of boats less than 26 feet long to wear a kill switch device that automatically shuts off the engine if the operator is thrown overboard. Seven other states have similar laws in place, and the U.S. Coast Guard will adopt the same rule in 2021.