Texas Game Wardens issue fewer citations during Memorial Day weekend

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Game Wardens issued fewer citations out on Texas waters over Memorial Day weekend than last year.

Between Friday and Monday, game wardens conducted 10,218 safety checks on vessels and issued 62 fewer citations than the year before, says Texas Parks & Wildlife. This decrease is being attributed to increased boating safety awareness and patrols by game wardens and other marine safety officers.

Game wardens did respond to 15 boating accidents and six drownings that occurred on water bodies including the Rio Grande, Lake Sommerville, Grapevine, Blanco River, Cedar Creek Lake and Lake Buchanan, says TPWD.

Over the weekend, game wardens also rescued capsized boaters, including at Lake Nasworthy, where they pulled 13 people from the water, and Lake Lewis, where some of those rescued were not wearing life jackets, and instead were clinging to their overturned boat while waiting for help.

Wardens also worked a cliff-jumping injury that resulted in a broken femur, broke up a fight at a swimming area and a hunting without consent case for a pronghorn killed in Sherman County, among other incidents, says TPWD.

For more information about water safety from TPWD, click here