Red Bank Councilwoman Cindy Burnham, left, and boating accident victim David Civile’s family, sister Laura Davies, father Rich Civile and mother Joan Civile hold a new boating safety sign at Maple Cove. COURTESY OF CINDY BURNHAM Three warning signs have been installed at points along the river in Red Bank to prevent fatal boating accidents like the one that claimed the life of David Civile.
On May 6, the signs were placed at three borough sites — Maple Cove, Marine Park and a launch site on Chapin Avenue — warning boaters about unpredictable winds, currents and water temperatures, and reminding them to always wear life jackets.
Donated by the David P. Civile Foundation for Boating Awareness, the signs were installed in response to the loss of Civile on Nov. 17, 2010.
Three weeks after buying a kayak, the 26-year-old Tinton Falls resident took his kayak out on the Shrewsbury River and lost his life.
“After David’s tragic accident, we just felt there was such a need for education, especially for nonmotor rides like kayaks and canoes,” said David’s mother, Joan Civile.
“We needed to prevent this from ever happening again. … Unfortunately, with nonmotorized craft, there’s really nothing required. You can buy a kayak anywhere, and there’s nothing required because there’s no motor.”
She noted that her son — a beloved manager at Trader Joe’s — was in great shape and loved the outdoors, but he was unprepared in the face of severe winds and cold water temperatures.
“I remember telling him, ‘What about the wind?’ ” Civile said. “And he said, ‘Mom, if it’s bad in an hour, I’ll come back. If it’s too bad, I’ll just come back. I’ll be fine.’ “We really thought he would be fine. But unfortunately, something happened while he was out on the river. … He wasn’t aware of the conditions and what he needed to do to survive. He didn’t have a life vest on, which is so important.”
Despite search and rescue efforts by the Little Silver police, U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey state troopers, boating group members, family, friends and strangers, David’s remains were not found until more than two years later on Dec. 5, 2012.
According to Civile, there are three reasons why people feel they don’t need to wear a life vest.
“One is that they can swim, so they think they’ll be OK,” she said. “The second is they see land, and they’re close to the shore — and when [David] went out in the river, there was land all over. And third, they figure that in an emergency they will be able to put it on. So unfortunately, there’s such a false sense of security among kayakers and canoers.”
In 2013, after meeting with the staff of the Monmouth County Park System and state Sen. Jennifer Back (R-Monmouth), the foundation began installing the warning signs in Shore towns including Little Silver, Long Branch, Rumson, Point Pleasant and Fair Haven.
The foundation also donates life vests to first-time kayak buyers.
The initiative to install signs in Red Bank began after Joan Civile approached Councilwoman Cindy Burnham at the 2014 Paddle the Navesink Day, an annual event held to educate the community about boating activities.
“I hope that people, including myself, wear our life vests more,” Burnham said. “Even myself, I don’t wear my life vest all the time. I do when I take people out, but I don’t do it all the time, and you really have to do it all the time because you never know.
“This is why they call them accidents. But if you’re prepared and you know what you’re doing, and you don’t panic and you wear your life vest, and you’re aware of the winds and the changes and the current, you’ll be OK.”
Civile said she wants to put signs in as many places as she can, and she encourages people to reach out to her if they have a suggested location for a sign.
“We want people to see them and put on a life jacket, and not have that false sense of security that everyone seems to have,” Civile said. “I even see commercials, and people will be kayaking and canoeing with no life vest. It is beautiful, and it is serene, but people have to be educated before they go out there.”
For more information about the foundation and boating safety awareness, visit www.thedavidpcivilefoundation.org.