On July 18, 2011 at approximately 1156 hours I received a call from RFC advising me of a boat incident on Jackson Lake. RFC advised me that the incident occurred on July 17th at approximately 1630 hours. Subject was requesting a Ranger to contact him in reference to investigation the boat incident. I called Subject via my personal cell phone and met him at his residence at approximately 1350 hours. subject advised me that the accident occurred at his residence. He walked me down to his dock to show me the damage that his dock and pontoon boat sustained. I noticed fresh broken wood on his dock where the walkway and dock bolt together. Subject's pontoon boat was a 1990 Crest Pontoon 22 feet in length. On his pontoon boat I saw a small dent on the back of the port side pontoon. In addition to the dent on the pontoon, I saw where a large section of the side railing was broken and bent. Subject stated to me that he tied the pontoon boat to his dock and secured it to one of the posts on his side railing. That side railing post was bent out far enough that it was nearly broken in half. I next asked Subject to explain to me what happened. 

Subject told me that he and his wife had friends and their children over the previous day to play in the lake. While everyone was playing on the dock and in the water around their home, a neighbor came over and asked if they would like her to pull them on a tube with her PWC. For approximately 30 to 45 minutes Operator pulled two people on a tube. Subject stated that they were going round and round in the cove and they worked their way closer and closer to his dock. Eventually Operator came too close to the dock and the tube brushed the dock and struck Subject's pontoon boat. He also stated that in the course of the accident that one tuber sustained injuries to both legs and her left heel. He described the injuries as a puncture wound to her right calf that required 3 stitches, a laceration to her left calf, and a cut on her left heel that was super glued back together. 

Subject stated that Tuber's mother transported her to the emergency room at Newton General Hospital. I asked Subject and his wife if Operator had an observer on the back of her PWC while she was towing the subjects on her tube and they stated that she did not. Subject also provided me with addresses to both Operator's residence as well as the victim’s residence. I went to Operator's residence at approximately 1500 hours to interview her about the accident. I asked if she had consumed any alcohol before the accident and she stated that she did not. I next asked Operator to describe the accident to me. She told me basically the same story as Subject, except Operator stated that the rope came off the tube while towing. She stated that was the reason that the tube and its occupants struck Subject's dock and pontoon boat. Operator's tube was an O'Rageous, Quick bolt Tube designed with 2 seats made into it. The tube was blue in color with yellow accents. I noticed scuffmarks consistent with the color of Subject's dock on the left rear corner of the tube. I documented the scuffs on my vidmic. I asked Operator to explain how she hooked up the towrope to the tube. The way Operator hooked up to the tube was not the proper way to fasten the cleat and rope together. I did not notice any signs of damage or excess wear on the rope that would be consistent with product failure on the rope. Operator's PWC was a 1999 blue in color Yamaha Wave Runner.
Covington                     