"Garrison Hilliard" wrote
Why couldn't they signal the oncoming barge?

Why do reporters ask questions they've already answered?
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...508260390/1056
"All four passengers were below deck trying to restore power when the boat
was struck"

Basically, if you do what you're supposed
to do, these things won't happen."

Exactly.

I mix with barges on the Kanawha River day and night. You stay out of their
way, they don't run over you. I know it's speaking ill of the dead, but
drifting in the middle of the channel at night with no lookout was foolish.

Something I've noticed, that you might not expect if you haven't been around
them, is that you often can't hear a string of barges approaching. Typically
they're moving relatively slowly and the noisy end is a couple hundred yards
back from the part that you'll encounter first. If there's no wind or other
sounds you may hear a little rustling when it's within a short distance but
that's about it. They're pretty hard to miss visually, though, if you're
watching. Bottom line is you really should keep your eyes open and your
thumbs out.