On the evening of july 4, 2012, a boat accident occurred on lake tillery, located in montgomery county around 5:00pm.  The accident took place near the emerald shores community and involved two yamaha waverunners.  The waverunners were operated by Operator1 and Operator2 who are both on the football team for duke university.  The waverunners are owned by a step father of another team mate.

Prior to the accident, Operator1 and Operator2 were traveling north up the lake looking for their friends.  They were approximately 20 yards from one another at an angle.  Operator1 was in front of Operator2 when the accident occurred.  Operator2 had glanced down to get water out of his eyes and unknowingly to him, Operator1 turned to the left and stopped the waverunner in front of him.  When Operator2 looked back up, he was unable to avoid hitting Operator1.  The two waverunners collided and Operator2 was thrown from the waverunner he was operating.  Operator1 was struck in the head by the waverunner Operator2 was operating and Operator1 was knocked off his waverunner and became unconscious.  Bystanders at the nearby pier came to the aid of Operator1 and pulled him to shore.  By the time officers arrived at the scene, Operator1 was unconscious, breathing and had a pulse.  He also had a small laceration under his chin.  It was not long before montgomery county ems arrived and transported Operator1 to stanly regional hospital where they immediately airlifted him to chapel hill.  Operator2 refused all medical care.

After interviewing Operator2 at the scene and the following monday, i was able to understand how the accident took place.  The factors that contributed to the accident were:  there were more boats on the water than normal due to it being a holiday, which in turn made the water more rough; both operators were inexperienced at operating a vessel, and their inattention to their surroundings.  Operator2 was charged with an infraction for not having a boating safety class.  No other charges are expected to be filed.  

Due to Operator1 still being in a coma at the hospital, there is no operator's report from him at this time.  Once one is completed for him, it will be included with this report and the report will be complete.

TROY                          