In Memory of Delaney

Friday was a beautiful, sunny day. The weather was warm but the clouds were rolling in and Saturday promised to not be as nice. In fact, it rained during the night and we woke up Saturday to much cooler temperatures. My daughter was getting ready to go to her first prom. A nice young gentleman, a year older, had invited her. Although they are just friends, both were looking forward to the evening. They didn't realize that a tragedy was unfolding a few miles away that would affect them, and the rest of the community.

On Friday, a family decided to go boating on a nearby lake. They had a cottage on the lake and had just gotten a new motor boat. The father was driving it when, somehow, the boat hit a dock barge that was slowly making its way from one end of the lake to the other. Of the four passengers, one young lady was unharmed. One young boy, the son, was severely injured and ended up being flown to a trauma center. The father was also severely injured and transported to a nearby hospital. The daughter hit her head on the way into the water and never resurfaced. The daughter, Delaney, was good friends with my daughter.

The news of Delaney's death spread at the prom. My daughter came home in tears, the memories of her first prom forever overshadowed by this tragic accident. The weekend was long and difficult as my daughter struggled to make sense of a senseless death. On Monday, school was somber as students learned a hard and difficult lesson about life and death and how to cope with loss.

The lives of those who live on the lake will be forever affected by this accident, as will be the lives of Delaney's friends, family and acquaintances. There is something that can come from this that would benefit all. The life preserver law in Pennsylvania does not require passengers in boats over a certain age to have preservers on. The life preservers just have to be in the boat. But had Delaney been wearing a preserver, when she hit the water, this accident probably would have had a different ending. I think the law needs to be revisited. I know how my daughter has suffered at the lost of her best friend. I can't even begin to imagine what the parents are suffering. I think that this one senseless death is one death too much. In honor of Delaney, let's change the law.