2 people charged after being rescued on floatie in Lake Ontario without life jackets
Both face a $240 fine for not wearing life jackets on the inflatable tube
Hamilton police charged a man from Thunder Bay and woman from Etobicoke who ended up stranded in Lake Ontario on a floatie without life jackets.
The marine unit tweeted that the pair of floatie riders drifted away from the shore of Van Wagner's Beach just before 9 p.m. Saturday.
"Both were on an inflatable tube that was blown over 800 meters off shore. Neither were wearing a life jacket," read the tweet.
"The pair was lucky a man on the beach saw them and called 911. They had no safety equipment and no way to call for help as they continued to be blown further out on the Lake."
The pair was lucky a man on the beach saw them & called 911. They had no safety equipment and no way to call for help as they continued to be blown further out on the Lake. These situations are preventable. Inflatable floaties are meant for pools, ponds and small lakes.
—@HPSMarinePolice say floaties are only meant for pools, ponds and small lakes. They also said this incident was preventable.
"If using these items on the beaches of the Great Lakes, you must consider the wind direction as even light winds can take you out quickly. We strongly recommend securing them to shore to avoid a potentially life-threatening incident," read the tweets from police.
Each rider faces a $240 fine because police said the inflatable tube drifted outside the beach swim area. Beyond that point, the safety requirements for a pleasure craft apply.
This is the third floatie rescue by police in under a month.