RedactedNarrative: On January 9, 2021 at approximately 1:05 PM I, Cpl., was notified of a boat accident occurring in Saline Bayou, in Catahoula Parish, involving two vessels. Operator 2 was awaiting a medevac flight to Rapides Regional Medical Center. Operator 2 complained of having severe neck and back pain, but was conscious and communicating.  Statements from witnesses and evidence collected on scene, indicated that Operator 1 was operating vessel one traveling south, approximately 35-40mph, on Saline Bayou from Shad Lake when he struck Operator 2's vessel at approximately 12:00 PM.  Operator 2 was fishing stationary from his vessel, approximately 20 yards from the east bank of Saline Bayou (N31'35.640 W91'33.545). Vessel two was pointed north.  Operator 1 stated that he never saw vessel two until after impact.  Operator 1
  s vision was restricted by two pedestal seats mounted on the bow of the vessel as well as one passenger who was sitting in the mid section of the vessel. Operator 1 admitted in his voluntary statement that vessel two was in a blind spot created by two seats in the front of his vessel.  Vessel one struck the port side bow of vessel two. Operator 2 stated that he saw vessel one approaching and thought that he was going to speed past him and another vessel that were fishing, but then realized that vessel one was coming right at him.  Operator 2 bailed off the starboard side of his vessel and began swimming to the bank.  Operator 2 stated that he could not swim with all of his clothes weighing him down, and nearly drowned before vessel one came back and pulled him to the shore.  Operator 1 had two passengers on vessel one, who were facing the stern of the vessel while they were underway.  They did not witness the incident, but did assist in pulling Operator 2 to the bank of the bayou. Later that evening I proceeded to Rapides Regional to get a voluntary statement from Operator 2.  His injuries were unknown at the time and he was awaiting results from a CT scan.  The damage on vessel one consisted of severe gouges in the fiberglass hull from the bow to the stern, a broken bow bumper, and a broken skeg of the lower unit.  The damage on vessel two consisted of severe damage to the bow (torn aluminum) as well as a severely bent port gunwale and moderately bent starboard gunwale.  Inside Vessel two I identified fiberglass transfer and pieces of the plastic bow bumper from vessel one.  The front pedestal seat in vessel two that Operator 2 was fishing from was found broken off at the base and lying upside down at the rear of the vessel.  It was determined that Operator 1 was traveling approximately 20 yards from the shoreline on his left and the bayou is approximately 100 yards wide at the location of the accident.  Operator 1 failed to keep to the right of mid-channel (rule of the road for vessels #13) and failed to keep a proper lookout.  PFD's were accessible, but were not used on both vessels.  Vessel one (remote steer) was equipped with a kill switch which was used.  Vessel two (tiller steer) was equipped with a kill switch which was not used.  Both vessels had fire extinguishers that were serviceable.  Alcohol and drugs were not considered contributing factors to the incident.  Operator 1 was later issued a citation for 34:851.4 - Careless Operation.