Crews continued their search Monday for Matthew Golding, 37, of Moline who fell off a jet ski Sunday and hadn’t been seen or heard from since.
The search started Sunday evening, but was shortly called off after sundown.
Now, the question of why is the biggest thing on the mind of Matthew’s mom.
She says what started out as a test of the new jet skis her son bought the day before, ended in tragedy when he fell off after the jet ski overturned.
He never came up, according to witnesses.
“I don’t wish this on anyone,” said Jayne Lambert Golding. “Parents should not outlive their kids.”
Rescue crews say, while tragic, it’s not uncommon for this type of accident to occur once the weather gets nice and people start thinking about water sports.
“They haven’t been out in the boat all year, or they buy a new boat, lack of experience,” said Ted Smith, Batallion Chief for the Moline Fire Department.
Matthew’s mom wants this tragedy to serve as a reminder to others- always have safety in mind while out on the river
“You need a life jacket because the river is strong and it’s bigger than you are and if my son had a life jacket on, he’d be alive now,” she said.
Monday’s search didn’t result in anything.
There will be a candlelight vigil for Matthew Monday evening at 7, at the 55th St. boat ramp in Moline.
