On 7/23/11 at approximately 12:15am, operator/owner and passenger were fishing on lake james.  They left from up the lake heading to black bear access area to take off of the lake.

After interviewing the passenger, he stated that they had gotten confused about where they were on the lake and that they had been blinded by a spotlight being shown across the lake.  Once they saw the dock, they did not have enough time to react to avoid hitting the dock.  The dock is approximately 125 feet in length and was struck by the vessel approximately 10 feet from the end.  The dock has a red reflector located at the end of the dock.  There is also a no wake zone that extends 50 yards beyond the dock.  The buoy was not in it's location while i surveyed the accident area.

After interviewing several fishermen who aided the owner and passenger after the accident, they advised that they had not seen a spotlight in the area that night, but had noticed headlights from cars on the road shine across the water that evening.  They also stated that they had heard the impact of the vessel hitting the dock and it sounded like a small explosion.  However, no one other than the passenger saw the impact with the dock.

The vessel was torn completely across the bow, the windshield was completely broken, and the boat filled with water and sank after the ropes that held it to the dock had broken.  The dock had broken boards and the dock frame was bent on and around the point of impact.

Injuries to the owner/operator consisted of trauma to the head and face, broken ribs, and broken jaw bones.  The owner/operator is currently on a ventilator in icu and had to have a tracheotomy.  He is still hospitalized and unable to talk.

The passenger's injuries include a punture in his upper leg, 3 broken ribs, and numerous hematomas and lacerations.

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It was not noted in the officer's report if this was considered a total loss.

MARION                        