Lockport, N.Y. (WBEN) - In wake of a Lockport Cave boat capsizing earlier this month, leaving one man dead, New York State Senator Rob Ortt and Assemblyman Mike Norris are looking to pass legislation aiming to provide oversight for particular attractions like Lockport Caves, so that accidents like this will hopefully not happen again.
"Something that has come out of this tragedy, is that there does not seem to be a state agency whose responsibility it is to inspect the boat to make sure that it's safe for occupants, or even that the operator could reach out to, if they had questions or issues," said the senator.
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Senator Ortt explains that this legislation, if passed, will task New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to oversee inspections for "man-made mechanical boat attractions on man-made waterways".
This legislation does not apply to amusement parks, as they are already overseen by the New York State Department of Labor.
"Passengers, whether they're at the Lockport Caves or any other attraction like this in New York, they should be able to know and expect that somebody is performing safety inspections on these kinds of attractions. I think everyone, governmentally, did expect that was the case here, and it wasn't, until this tragedy."
Senator Ortt and Assemblyman Mike Norris hope that this legislation can be passed and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul come next session in Albany.
"In the Assembly, it has been sent to bill indexing, so we will be getting a bill number on this," said Assemblyman Norris. "I look forward to working with the governor's office, in cooperation with her office and the senator, to adopt this important piece of legislation, so these types of attractions in the future, will ensure that things are operating in the most effective and efficient manner."
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The assemblyman reminds the public that Lockport, despite having the cave tour operations closed, is still open for business. You can still take a ride on the Erie Canal, visit the Discovery Center and much more. "We rely on tourism here in Lockport, our business owners, and it is important for people to know they can come here, and they can participate with the great attractions that we have."