The boat operator who was responsible for a fatal accident last Father’s Day is charged with vehicular homicide. Before the homicide charge he was charged with boating while intoxicated. The driver was arrested yesterday morning and is held on a $100,000 bond. His brother was the casualty from the boating accident on June 17. The victim suffered from blunt force trauma and not drowning as previously reported.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has yet to reveal any findings or details from the crash. They are not expected to release any further information until the trial. Preliminary reports state that absence of light was not a factor in the crash but speed and alcohol may have played a role.
The accident occurred on the Des Moines River around 7pm. The driver’s wife, also a witness, stated that their boat had drifted into a no-wake zone at the time of the crash. Both of the boats were headed straight for each other. One boat swerved and the other boat turned in the same direction, resulting in a collision. One boat capsized while the other made it safely to the docks. Four people were thrown from the boats but were quickly rescued by nearby boaters. An infant was on board the boat and was thrown into the water at the time of the crash. The passengers had minor injuries but were otherwise fine. The brother of the driver had died as a result of the crash impact.
Both of the drivers had their blood tested for alcohol where it was discovered that they were both over the legal limit of alcohol. Their blood alcohol content was a .129 and a .172. The legal limit to operate a boat in Iowa is .08. They were both charged with boating while intoxicated.
In 2011, the state of Iowa lowered the legal limit for blood alcohol content while boating from .10 to .08. This new legal limit is the same as the legal limit for highway motorists.
A boating while intoxicated charge is considered a misdemeanor if it is a first offense. It can also result in a two-day jail stay, a $1,000 fine and a loss of a boating license for one year. A crash resulting in a death is considered a felony, which is the same charge as vehicular homicide.
A trial date has not been set for the driver as of yet.
