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Local boaters learn about Kali's Law

On Sunday, sheriff's deputies at Lake Corpus Christi made sure boaters were staying safe and making sure their boats were up to code with the new Kali's Law.

MATHIS, Texas — While famlies were enjoying their Labor Day weekend at Lake Corpus Christi, San Patricio County sheriff's deputies were making sure people were staying safe and notifying them about a new law affecting boaters and jet skiers.

"The people that we deal with is mainly just to educate them on new laws like this and to make sure that they are aware," Cpl. Tim Drumright said. 

New laws like the Kali Gorzell Law. The 16-year-old died during a boating accident in Aransas Pass in 2012.

"She fell overboard and got run over," Deputy Mario Lasoya said. "Her parents were big advocates after that they if there would have been a safety kill switch enabled that may not have happened."

Nine years later the Texas law says all motor boats require kill switches.

"If the driver of the boat falls off the boat, it unplugs the boat and kills the motor," Drumright said. "A lot of the newer boats have them but some of the older boats do not." 

Sheriff's deputies stopped to do a safety check on a boat owned by Justin Juresek who was happy to comply.

"It's a great idea," Juresek said. "You hear of stories, close calls. people getting thrown out of the boat."

"You wanna have a noise producing device," Lasoya said. "It can be whistle, it can be an electronic horn, it can be an air horn. Just something where you fall overboard you can give us a honk or a horn ."

Deputies said there were no major incidents on the lake on Labor Day Weekend.

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