What if the boat capsized or she somehow slipped off? What was the plan? Was she wearing a life vest? Why was she strapped in while over water?
She was on a boat ramp, not on a boat.
But the question of why she was strapped in is still a good one.
Agreed. I spent some years in a manual wheelchair and I would not have gone on a pier, dock, boat or anything like that. At least wearing a flotation device, and not strapped to the chair, the person would have a chance. But those motorized chairs are unbelievably heavy---straight to the bottom.