Man Pleads No Contest in Fatal Boating Accident on Black Creek
The father of one of two teens who died in a boating crash last February in Clay County has pled no contest to a charge of reckless boating. The man also pled guilty to an unrelated charge of DUI and could receive a year in jail when he is sentenced at the end of the month.
The man was operating the boat when it sped up and crashed into a low-lying tree branch on Black Creek. The son, a 17-year-old boy and his 15-year-old female friend were sitting on the front of the boat and died from catastrophic head, neck, and chest injuries. The father had gone to the back of the boat and was more than six feet from the controls as he checked the engine and fuel pump.
The father has since turned to alcohol and in June was arrested for drinking and driving, a misdemeanor. He had made his living as a boat mechanic but tells Channel 4 he has not been able to get near water since the accident that took his son’s life and the life of his son’s friend.
Our condolences go out to everyone involved following this tragedy. Members of both families showed up at Tuesday’s court hearing on August 2 to lend their support to the father who they feel has suffered enough. “He’s never going to get over this,” said one.
In such cases, a boating accident lawyer in Florida would always want to conduct its own investigation into a crash on the water to determine what the engine, steering mechanism, throttle, and damage to the vessel reveals. Farah & Farah has represented dozens of boat accident victims successfully to obtain compensation for their injuries and related losses.
Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/28743283/detail.html
