Jet Ski Explodes After Hitting Shore of Columbia River

We've heard of them running out of gas, or other malfunctions, but exploding?

A stuck throttle that likely caused the engine to exceed it's limits is being blamed for an explosion that could have injured a jet ski rider Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, a rider near the Edison Street boat launch found his throttle stuck on his jet ski, and he couldn't stop it. Normally, when you jump off the throttle is supposed to disengage, allowing you to swim over to the ski and climb on.

However, this one kept spinning in circles until it abruptly changed direction, sped towards shore, then hit the rocks near the Edison boat launch and exploded upon impact!

The flames were quickly extinguished from what was likely a ruptured fuel line, but the jet ski sustained a lot of damage and won't be on the water anytime soon. Fortunately the rider was wearing a life vest and was able to swim to shore unharmed.