The parents of a 15-year-old boy who died in a jet ski crash have called for urgent reform after another teenager was charged over the fatal incident. Mitchell Irvine was thrown from the watercraft on the Georges River in Sylvania, in Sydney’s south, nearly a year ago.
Emergency services rushed to Tom Uglys Bridge, but he could not be saved. Speaking on Wednesday, his father Neil Irvine expressed the family’s grief: “To not have the opportunity now to celebrate an 18th, a 21st, a wedding, grandchildren — it’s just like, we want to wake up and it’s all been a nightmare.”
Mitchell’s parents spoke a day after police revealed that another teen had been charged over the crash. A 15-year-old, who was 14 at the time and lost his arm in the incident, was issued a court attendance notice for one count of dangerous navigation occasioning death and one count of operating a recreational vessel negligently causing death.
Charges Laid After Extensive Investigation
NSW Police said the charges followed an extensive investigation by the Marine Area Command. Mitchell’s parents said they were glad authorities had “been so diligent.”
The family has also called for change, specifically raising the minimum age to ride jet skis from 12 to 16. The government said it is looking at options but has yet to move on any reform.
“What’s the acceptable number of deaths in NSW before we make a change? In my view, it’s always zero,” Mitchell Irvine said. “We want that fixed now.”
The alleged driver of the jet ski will face court on July 22, exactly one year after Mitchell died.
