On 5-20-11 I, State Game Warden, was contacted by National Park National Park Service at approximately 23:05 and advised that a boat accident had occurred near the Box Canyon Boat Ramp on Lake Amistad.  I was advised that all persons involved in the accident had left the scene.  

At approximately 23:15, I arrived to the hospital and located the group that had been involved in the accident.  Three male individuals identified themselves as the occupants of the vessel. The driver of the vessel was identified.  Operator advised that he and the other two occupants had eaten dinner and then launched a vessel to do some night fishing.  

Operator advised that at or about 21:15, he and the other two men launched the vessel and left Box Canyon Boat Ramp.  He advised that He was driving, Occupant1 was seated facing forward in the port side passenger seat and Occupant2 was seated on the deck area of the bow of the vessel facing the rear.  He stated they left the boat ramp and traveled westbound up the Rio Grande River channel.  He advised that it was dark and that he was attempting to go into the cove adjacent to the Box Canyon Boat Ramp.  He advised that the motor on his vessel started running rough so he applied more throttle to get the vessel up onto plain.  He advised that the boat then made contact with the shore, came out of the water, and then returned into the water on the other side of a small peninsula.  He advised that when the vessel struck the shore it ejected Occupant2 out of the vessel, causing him to roll on the ground and strike his head several times on the rocky ground.  Operator stated that he then picked up Occupant2 and rushed him back to the boat ramp.  Occupant2 was transported to the hospital (not by EMS).

During the contact with Operator, I smelled a very faint odor of alcohol emitting from his breath and person.  Operator advised me that he had drank a couple of beers during dinner prior to the accident.  I requested Operator to perform a series of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to determine if he was impaired due to the introduction of alcohol into his body.  He complied and performed the tests.  During the SFSTs I detected a total of two clues.  At this time I did not feel that Operator was impaired.  I requested Operator provide a sample of his blood.  At approximately 12:50a.m. a sample of his blood was drawn by Val Verde Reg. Hospital nurse.  The sample was sent to the DPS Crime Lab to be analyzed.  I released Operator.   I interviewed Occupant1 who recounted the series of events as that of Operator with little to no discrepancies. 


On 5-21-2011 at approximately 2:00p.m. I met with NPS Rangers.  We traveled by boat to the area of where the accident occurred.  Once the accident site was located I observed numerous scrape marks where the vessel had traveled on land.  At approximately 4:00p. I met with Occupant2 at his vacation home.  He advised me that he had been taking pain medication and was currently under the influence of it.  He advised that he does not remember much of what took place that night other than he was in the vessel and then he was on his way to the hospital. 

Charges of Intoxication Assault are pending the results of the blood sample. A water temperature was not obtained on the date of accident since the investigation was conducted at the Val Verde Regional Hospital.

Del Rio                       