RedactedNarrative: On August 4, 2020, Officers responded to a boat accident involving injuries on Lake Cumberland in Russell County, KY. We were notified by dispatch that the victim had possibly sustained a broken leg due to a skiing accident. 
  
  While enroute to Jamestown Marina, we were notified the victim had been transported by EMS to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, KY. On the way to the hospital, I contacted Russell County Dispatch to obtain the victim’s name, OPERATOR 2.
  
  Once we arrived at the hospital we made contact with PASSENGER 1. She stated she had hurt her leg on a jet ski not while skiing. She explained she was standing on the swim ladder located at the back of (Vessel #2) State Dock Rental Houseboat #453 registration number KY-0734-PK. She had her right foot on the second run of steps and her left foot was on the top run.  
  
  OPERATOR 1 of Raleigh, NC was operating (Vessel #1) a 2005 SeaDoo Bombardier PWC registration number NC-9456-EJ. 
  
  PASSENGER 1 stated OPERATOR 1 was pulling up to the back of the houseboat to pick her up and was approaching faster than she thought running into her left leg pinching it between the houseboat and the jet ski. Due to the pain and swelling, she believed her leg was broken because she couldn’t put any weight on it. 
  
  Her husband was a passenger on the houseboat, but he didn’t witness anything. He was present with PASSENGER 1 at the hospital. The husband was able to provide names and contact information of other passengers on the houseboat. Since PASSENGER 1 had already received x-rays prior to our arrival, we waited around for the results. PASSENGER 1 didn’t sustain any breaks and would be released soon. 
  
  We obtained GPS coordinates of their houseboat location and informed them we would follow up the next day to photograph evidence and interview other witnesses. Before leaving the hospital we took photographs of the victim’s injury and obtained a written statement from her.
  
  On August 5, 2020, Officers went to the location of the accident via boat. We met with PASSENGER 1 and her husband. They both introduced us to the other passengers onboard the houseboat. The first person we talked to was the operator of Vessel #1, OPERATOR 1. We were given consent to speak with him from his mother. She wasn’t present on the houseboat, but she had spoken with PASSENGER 1 and advised it was okay for us to talk with her son. OPERATOR 1’s mother was also the registered owner of Vessel #1.
  
  OPERATOR 1 stated he brought Vessel #1 around in a circle to pick up PASSENGER 1. He stated her leg got caught between the PWC about where the registration numbers were and ladder of the houseboat. He explained he was at idle speed when approaching the houseboat and was on the PWC alone. He also hadn’t had any boating safety courses before.
  
  The next witness we talked to was PASSENGER 1 son.. Since he was also a juvenile, she gave us consent to speak with him. His statement matched what other witnesses had advised. Next we spoke with the other passengers onboard Vessel #2, but they hadn’t witnessed anything. 
  
  Before leaving, we took photographs of the vessels involved and collected registration information. During the course of this investigation, I have made attempts to contact BOAT OWNER 1 to gain her date of birth and operator’s license number for the report, since she is the registered owner of Vessel #1, but she has failed to return my phone calls after leaving voicemails.
  
  Contributing factors resulting in this accident is operator inexperience and inattention with Vessel #1. OPERATOR 1, 15 years of age is required by law to have completed a boating safety course before he can legally operate a PWC by himself. He failed to do so prior to operation. He also wasn’t focused on his surroundings, otherwise he would have avoided striking the victim. I suspect he was traveling greater than idle speed at the time of the accident based on the victim’s statement and him not having enough time to change his course to prevent the accident. The victim shouldn’t have been on the swim ladder and in the water as the PWC was approaching. I believe if she would’ve been on the houseboat deck platform this accident could’ve been avoided.