On July 9th, 2011 at approximately 6:30pm, Jackson Parish Sheriff Deputy informed me of a boating accident in which one person involved received a broken leg.  He stated that there were no sign of alcohol usage and that the injured party and his family members were transported to St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe.  I made telephone contact with the victim’s mother and she was not aboard the boat at the time of the accident and that operator had been operating the vessel when the accident occurred.  operator was in the waiting room and I made contact with him and asked what happened.  He told that he was pulling 3 passengers on a tube at the mouth of Smith Branch when the tube hit a wake, went slightly airborne, and cause victim leg to protrude a short ways outside the tube and was injured when the tube made contact with the water.

After receiving voluntary statements from all parties abroad the vessel at the time of the accident, I determined that the force of the wake was the primary cause.  operator advised me that all the occupants were wearing PFDs and I did any signs of alcohol and/or drugs which would have contributed to the incident.
Chatman                       