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By:

Jon Lindberg

A Father and Son's Boating Tragedy

fateful [feyt-fuh l] adj.

having momentous significance or consequences;
decisively important; critical:
fatal, deadly, or disastrous:

that fateful day that started like any other.

(Dictionary.com, n.d.)

It was a beautiful day that fateful Thursday afternoon; the sun was shining, the weather was in the high 60’s, and me and my Dad had been out most of the day on the boats on the Mississippi River. Something we have done for so many years as a father and son thing. These are not your everyday boats, they go fast, 100+mph. We decided to race up river one more time, to the Anoka bridge, have a hot dog and call it a day.

We took off from the Coon Rapids dam, heading up river, racing the whole way. About half way to the bridge my Dad slowed down. I kept going because my boat was running really fast; 126mph. When I got to the bridge I shut the boat off and waited. Finally when Dad came down, he circled and asked why I didn't wait. I told him that my boat was running really good, told him the speed, and he said his is running great and to “watch this”.

He circled and took off while I started to film him, which I never do. As I was filming, my phone went blank and I looked down at my phone and back up again. I could no longer see my Dad’s boat. I started my boat and took off down river where I could see my Dad’s boat in pieces. I look around but can't find my Dad. Diving into the water, swimming under the boat, coming back up screaming, crying, and panicking, I go back under the boat again but he is not there!

I climb on top of his boat screaming and screaming when I see the top of his head. I dive in swimming to him, I pull his head back there is blood everywhere. I try doing mouth to mouth and start swimming with him back to my boat but I am so tired that I can't swim anymore. I cry out loud telling him how sorry I am because I let him go to swim to my boat. I get to my boat and come back circling my Dad to get close enough so I can pull him in the boat.

I get to him but have no energy to pull him in the boat. I pull his arm and head into the boat, kick the boat, and gear smashing into shore, when a guy on a jet-ski pulls up, dragging my Dad on to the shore. My Dad hit a log at 115mph, flipped and crashed his boat, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

For the next couple of weeks while they did an autopsy, I lived with the guilt thinking I let my Dad die.

What a lot of you may not know is I tried to take my own life. The guilt was too much and I went out and smashed my boat. So glad I didn't die that day.

I didn't let my dad drown he died of blunt force trauma. My father was my best friend, my roommate, my Dad was my everything. I had to move in with friends because it took me over a year to be able to move back in the house. Holidays are killing me especially Thanksgiving was the only time of year my Dad did the cooking and we sat down like a real dinner.

Now that I am home I am asking anyone and everyone for your HELP. I am trying to raise money to fix my Dads boat, it sits in garage smashed when I look at it I see the accident and him dying over and over in my head like a movie. I can't get rid of it because those boating together days are some of the best memories of my Dad I have. So I am trying to raise money to fix it, I think it will help me heal, take away some of the pain.

It’s hard for me to ask for help but I cannot go on living like this and I am not saying this is the answer but it’s a start. At least I will be able to open the garage without seeing the accident in my head. Please, even if you can't give any donations you can help by sharing with everyone. Maybe you know someone who repairs fiberglass boats and is willing to donate their time and services.

I have had so much time to think about my purpose in life, and I don't have any solid answers, but I know that I want to give back and help others. This is why I chose to get involved with Helping Paws and am sharing money donated to them. Who doesn't love doggies?

Thank you so much for taking the time read my story, and please consider clicking the donate button and helping out to fix Dad's boat and helping our local heroes with service dogs.

Jon

An Only Son's Heart Forever Broken

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He taught me that a person is only as good as there word. If person kept there word they were a good person. Cause your word is one thing no one can take away but u. Also use to tell me that if you had a whole hand full of true real friends u were Luckest man in the world. This found out later in life to be true. Another lesson was that the parent is always right whrather he is or not. Lol just ment respect your parents. I could go on and on the things he taught me at a young age that I did not beleave to be true, later in life found out he was point on. Please spend time with your parents if u are fighting make amends. I no this can't always be done, and maybe I was just lucky to be that close to my Dad. But with that luck also has come more pain then I can even explain. I struggle each Day wheather I show it or not. My life is not whole nor will it ever be. Now for him I must search and find a purpose for life. This will not get rid of the struggle but it might ease the pain. I talked to my dad every day from 2004 to 9/3/15 and told each other " love you". Want to thank evertone even if was just time to read this. And special thanks to Jody Kane. For making this Web site and all her time she is truly amazing and a great childhood friend. Thank u Jon Lindberg