On 05-29-11 at 6:25 p.m. I was advised via ISP District 13 of a boat accident in gun Creek.  The original call was a child with head injuries from a capsized watercraft.  I arrived on the scene at 6:30 p.m.  CPOs arrived on the IDNR patrol boat at approximately 6:32 p.m.  A red and white watercraft was bow up approximately 200 yards North of the Route 154 bridge in the Gun Creek area of Rend Lake.  The ejected persons on board the capsized watercraft were pulled from the water and brought to the RLCD boat ramp.  An ambulance was requested to attend to the small child injuries from the accident.  I met the operator of the watercraft.  

Operator said he had five passengers on board at the time of the accident.  Operator said his boat is a 2007 32'' MCOB Sunsation with a mid cabin.  Operator said he left the Rend Lake Resort cove and made a "lap" around Gun Creek and on the second turn flipped over the boat.  Operator said he was going about 60 mph and cut back to 40mph before the turn.  He was unsure of the direction of travel and which side the watercraft flipped.  I smelled a moderate odor of an alcoholic beverage on Operator''s breath.  CPO conducted field sobriety testing  with Operator.  Occupant1 was seated in the front passenger seat holding his daughter, (2).  His wife, occupant4 was seated in the rear passenger seat with their son, (3).  Occupant(6) was seated in the back seat behind the operators seat.  None of the passengers felt any difference in operation before the boat flipped over.  CPO escorted the ambulance to the RLCD boat launce to check occupant3 who had a contusion under his left eye and the swelling was significant.  The ambulance personnel said the injury did not require immediate attention beyond first aid.   
              
     The US Corp of Engineer''s patrol boat, operated by Rangers stayed with the capsized watercraft in Gun Creek.  I took witness statements from two people.  CPO arrested Operator for operating a watercraft while under the influence of alcohol.  I issued citation #487994P for operation of a watercraft in a careless manner, at a rate of speed that endangered person''s/property.  CPO transported Operator to the Franklin County Jail.  At 7:30 p.m., the occupants were taken to the Rend Lake Resort by US COE ranger.  Operator''s wife was notified of the accident and surrounding consequences by Occupant1.  USC COE Ranger transported a witness of the accident to retrieve a boat trailer for their boat that broke down at the RLCD launch.  The Rend lake Dive Team arrived at the RLCD launch at 7:45 p.m.  I retrieved a work boat to assist the Dive Team with the recovery of the 32'' Sunsation watercraft.  The boat was in 14'' of water.  The divers attached multiple lift bags to the watercraft and left the water due to severe oil and gas leakage at 10:40 p.m.  The 32'' watercraft was towed to the RLCD launch at 12:30 a.m  I brought the debris from the accident to the RLCD launch.  Abbott''s towing loaded the watercraft  onto a flatbed and returned to the impound yard at 2:30 a.m.    

     A preliminary assessment of the 32'' Sunsation was completed at the RLCD launch.  The throttle''s were fully forward with the drive''s in forward gear.  The right RPM tachometer was stuck between 6800 and 6900 RPM.  No visible damage to the underside of the hull or outdrives was apparent, aside from the keel being towed up the concrete ramp.  The port hydraulic trim tab was set at 0 and the starboard tab was set at 4.  The damage was assessed on 05-30-11 at Abbott''s impound yard.  More photographs were taken of the damage, trim tabs and instrument panel.  The contributin...
Whittington                   