Jet Ski tragedy prompts boat & water safety education campaign

<p>Years after a Long Island teen died in a Jet Ski accident, his family's push for boater safety education has been adopted in 20 school districts.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2018, 4:35 PM

Updated 2,163 days ago

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Years after a Long Island teen died in a Jet Ski accident, his family's push for boater safety education has been adopted in 20 school districts.
Lori Cebul, whose nephew Dominic Trionfo died in the accident near a Mattituck beach, personally taught the course to her second-grade students in Coram.  He was 14 at the time, and it was his first time riding.
"Every day it is sad, and we miss him," says Sandra Monat, his mother.
The teen's family has turned their grief into a campaign for safety.
Cebul helped design the boating and water safety course that districts across the Island are now offering to thousands of students.
"Being that it's the end of the year, the kids are going to go home, and they are going to be going on the beaches and boats," she says. "It's very important to know that they need to be safe on the water, wear their life jacket, learn how to swim and also make sure there is an adult nearby when they are swimming."
She designed a teacher-friendly program for students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. The books were created and distributed across Long Island free of charge by the Dominic Trionfo Memorial Fund.
It's reached about 12,000 students this year.
Go HERE to watch extended interviews on the campaign.


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