RedactedNarrative: On July 11, 2015, I Officer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Officer responded to a boating accident on Lake Harney in Volusia County at approximately 5:41 PM. I launched my vessel from C.S. Lee Boat Ramp on the St. Johns River and arrived on scene at an area called Stone Bridge on the northeast corner of Lake Harney. 
  
  Once arrived on scene, I did not locate the accident location or any debris from the accident. Later at the boat ramp, I received information that three occupants were ejected from the air boat and two were transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford. I acquired contact information to the operator of the air boat and his wife. 
  
  I contacted Wife by telephone and requested to set a date and time to meet all three individuals involved during the accident. Due to injuries sustained from the accident, they were in and out of surgery and unable to meet right away. I arranged a time to meet with Operator at his residence on July 19, 2015. 
  
  Upon arrival, I inspected Operator’s airboat and saw the damage to the airboat. The air boat registration number was FL0276MD. I checked the airboat through FCIC and it came back to a 13 foot, 2003 Diamondback airboat registered to Operator. The airboat had a large dent from impact on the port side of the air boat stretching from the bow to middle portion of the air boat. I asked Operator exactly what happened and what caused the accident. Operator stated he operated the airboat through a canal at Stone Bridge that crossed over into a ditch. He operated through the ditch at three to four miles per hour (mph) which led back into the canal. Operator stated another vessel, operated by his brother, was leaving the canal and Operator turned in behind the other vessel to follow. Operator stated as he turned, the wake from the vessel 100 yards ahead carried him towards the left side of the bank causing him to lose steering. He said he applied more power to try and steer the air boat through the canal but the air boat did not change course causing the vessel to hit the left side of the bank. Operator stated he was traveling about ten miles per hour when he hit the left side of the bank which was about four to five feet in height. All three occupants were ejected upon impact. The third occupant ejected was later identified. Operator landed on his left shoulder, Wife hit her left leg on the bow of the vessel, and third person was uninjured. Operator called Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at approximately 3:00 PM for his wife and both were transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford by Volusia County EMS. Operator stated the air boat was taken to a friend’s residence on Lake Harney. 
  
  Operator wrote a sworn written statement about what occurred during the accident and admitted he was the operator. Another officer interviewed Wife and her story was the same account as Operator’s. I interviewed the third through telephone and his account of the accident matched Operator’s account as well. While filling out the boating accident form with Operator, without asking any questions, Operator stated he had a few beers before operating the air boat but he felt it did not affect his ability to operate the air boat. I asked Operator what he estimated the damage to the boat to be and he said "about five hundred dollars" and that he was going to repair the air boat himself. 
  I issued Operator a Uniform Boating Citation V484383 for violation of navigation rules for failing to avoid a collision. The boating accident was assigned case