ON THE EVENING OF MAY 22, 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:45 PM OPERATOR 1 (O1) AND PASSENGER 1 (P1) UNLOADED AND LAUNCHED THEIR BOAT FROM THE BOAT RAMP AT ROCKY POINT ON ORMAN DAM.  THEY INTENDED TO OPERATE THE BOAT TO A CAMPSITE THAT TWO OF THEIR FRIENDS WERE SETTING UP ON GADENS POINT.  THEIR COURSE OF TRAVEL WAS TO BE TRAVELING NORTHEAST AROUND THE POINT OF GADENS POINT AND THEN WEST TO THE CAMPSITE.  THEY WERE NAVIGATING AT NIGHT WITH LIMITED NIGHT VISIBILITY.  DURING TRAVEL O1 BELIEVED HE WAS OPERATING THE BOAT TO THE NORTHEAST BUT WAS ACTUALLY TRAVELING DIRECTLY EAST.  O1 AND P1 WERE LOOKING AT THE DEPTH FINDER WHEN O1 REALIZED THEY WERE ABOUT TO IMPACT THE EAST SHORELINE.  HE MADE A QUICK ATTEMPT TO TURN BUT IMPACTED THE CUT BANK OF THE SHORELINE (AT CCC POINT).  THE BOAT IMPACTED THE CUT BANK AT A NEAR 90 DEGREE ANGLE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MILES PER HOUR.  UPON IMPACT THE NOSE OF THE BOAT'S BOW DUG INTO THE CUT BANK WHICH ABRUPTLY STOPPED FORWARD MOTION.  O1 BELIEVED THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 12:10 AM (SATURDAY MAY 23, 2009).  O1 IMPACTED THE STEERING WHEEL AND DID NOT HAVE SERIOUS INJURIES.  P1 WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.  HER HEAD IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD, BREAKING THE GLASS, AND HER LOWER STOMACH (WAISTLINE) IMPACTED THE DASH CONSOLE.  SHE SUSTAINED INTERNAL INJURIES AND SUPERFICIAL CUTS TO HER HEAD.  SHE WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE SPEARFISH HOSPITAL WERE SHE UNDERWENT EMERGENCY SURGERY FOR A PERFORATED COLON.
THE BOAT'S NAVIGATION LIGHTS WERE IN USE.  PFD'S WERE ACCESSIBLE BUT NOT USED AT TIME OF ACCIDENT.  O1 AND P1 PUT PFD'S ON AFTER ACCIDENT OCCURRED.  WCO1 BELIEVES THE ACCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF NAVIGATING AT NIGHT WITHOUT PROPER LOOKOUT AND NOT USING A FORWARD LIGHT SOURCE TO SEE THE APPROACHING SHORELINE.  NO CHARGES WERE FILED.
BELLE FOURCHE                 