RedactedNarrative: SYNOPSIS:
  
  On 7/28/16 at approximately 1615 hours I was called out to respond to and investigate a reported fatal boat accident in Iceberg Canyon. The accident involved a collision between two PWC's being operated by brothers. One operator was pronounced deceased at the scene in Iceberg Canyon and the other operator was flown out via helicopter to Grand Junction, CO for a head injury.
  
  INITIAL CALL:
  
  At approximately 1615 hours on 7/28/16 I was contacted via phone by NPS District Ranger and notified that there had been a fatal boat accident in Iceberg Canyon. After securing child care for my son I called in service with NPS dispatch and notified them I would be responding to conduct the vessel accident investigation. I requested an update on the call and a confirmed location within Iceberg Canyon. I received neither from NPS dispatch but Ranger informed me that the scene was approximately 2 miles back into Iceberg Canyon on the left. I responded to the government docks and then continued my response via patrol vessel to Iceberg Canyon, entering the canyon at approximately 1710 hours. After proceeding more than two miles into the canyon I was able to raise NPS Ranger on the radio and learned they were all the way at the back of the canyon on the left.
  
  INVESTIGATION:
  
  I arrived at the NPS Rangers location near the back of Iceberg Canyon and a camp including a houseboat (Starry Nights). There were also three open motorboats, one pontoon boat and two PWC's present at that location. I was met by NPS Ranger and given an initial briefing on what had occurred. I was informed that one PWC operator was still on scene and deceased and the operator of the other PWC involved in the collision had been flown out via Classic Lifeguard helicopter and was in route to Grand Junction to receive treatment for a head injury.  NPS Ranger informed me the two PWC operators were brothers, with the deceased operator being 23 year old and the other being 15 year old.  
  
  NPS Ranger informed me that the two PWC's at our location were the vessel's involved in the accident and had been towed back to the families house boat camp by good Samaritans who had assisted the involved parties. There were two open motorboat vessels present (2005 Four Winns & 2008 Four Winns) with witnesses/good Samaritans on board that had assisted in various ways after the accident occurred. I spoke briefly with the operators of both vessels and found that both had filled out witness statements and that one of them had been first on scene, witnessing the actual events immediately after the collision had taken place.  
  
  NPS Rangers were also on scene and gathering personal information from all those present who had assisted with the family after the accident or witnessed anything. They were having multiple people fill out witness statements. I began to also get information on who had been in each vessel and what their role had been as well as finding out what family and friends were present of the two PWC operators. I also collected registration information on the involved vessels. I took photographs of the two PWC's involved in the accident (attached).
  
  I spoke to the Grandmother of the two PWC operators and found that Operator1 had been the operator of Vessel 1 and Operator2 had been the operator of Vessel 2 when they had left the houseboat camp the last time at approximately 1400 hours.  She stated that both had taken a watercraft safety class previously but did not have their certificates with them.  She stated she was certain Operator2 had taken a UT PWC class and thought Operator1 had too but Operator1 may have taken a CO class instead ( I was able to later confirm that Operator2 had taken a UT PWC class in 2006 but was unable to get a response from the CO State Parks boating safety class personnel). Grandmother stated that she didn't know anything had happened until some of the people on the 2008 Four Winns vessel came back and told her the boys had been in an accident. I made arrangements with them to take possession of their PWC trailer the next day for my accident investigation.
  
  I requested NPS Ranger tow the less damaged PWC, Vessel 1, back to Bullfrog for me and to secure it at the government docks, which he agreed to do. I secured the more damaged PWC, Vessel 2, to the rear of my patrol vessel on a short tow rope, lifting the bow of the vessel out of the water to reduce the risk of water entering the exposed hull of the vessel. I then towed the PWC back to Bullrog. During the tow out of Iceberg Canyon I had several wakes from other vessels hit the damaged area of the PWC before I could get on plane and protect it better. As a result of those wakes entering the hole in the side of the PWC, and possibly some damage that went below the waterline the PWC became partially swamped over night while still tied to the tow pick on my patrol vessel. It did not appear to cause any change to or extra damage to the vessel after I drained the water out the next day after trailering the two PWC's. I secured the two PWC"S in my vessel storage area and took more photographs of the damage to both vessels (attached).
  
  I assisted in confirming we had collected all the information from all the good Samaritans before they left the scene and then waited for the San Juan County Sheriff's Office Deputy to arrive and conduct the death investigation. Deputy arrived on scene and spoke with the family. I then assisted him collecting what he needed at the scene and transporting the deceased onto an NPS vessel for transport back to Hall's Crossing Marina. I gave NPS Ranger all the personal information I had recorded so she could copy all of it for Deputy and she stated she would give me a copy of all the information gathered the next day for my accident investigation.
  
  CONCLUSIONS:
  The following conclusions are based on a combination of information received from the parties present and referenced as well as my training and experience in investigating vessel accidents.
  Two people stated that their party had arrived in Bullfrog on 7/16/16 and then they had arrived at their camp site in Iceberg Canyon on 7/17/16. This initial group included everyone in their camp except Operator2, whom arrived on 7/24/16. GRANDMOTHER stated that both operators were very experienced vessel operators (over 500 hours each) and that they had both taken the watercraft safety course. She stated that OPERATOR2 had definitely taken the UT PWC class several years ago and that OPERATOR1 had also taken a class, possibly in CO or UT. GRANDMOTHER stated that the two boys had left the camp earlier around 1300 hours to go out to the mouth of the canyon and call their parents at home but their phones batteries had died so they had returned to charge them. They had left again at approximately 1400 hours before the accident occurred. She stated that OPERATOR1 was driving the black and yellow PWC (vessel 1) and OPERATOR2 was driving the white PWC (vessel 2).
  
  OPERATOR2 and OPERATOR1 were likely operating their PWC's generally in a direction leading them out toward the mouth of the canyon as they were planning to attempt to call their parents again from the mouth of the canyon. Subject stated that at approximately 1430 hours he had come around a corner in Iceberg Canyon (near NPS coordinates recorded as accident location) and witnessed OPERATOR2 up in the air immediately after the collision had taken place. Subject witnessed OPERATOR1 enter the water and attempt to rescue OPERATOR2. Subject assisted OPERATOR1 in lifting OPERATOR2 onto the back of one of the PWC's where OPERATOR1 began to perform CPR on OPERATOR2. 
  
  Operator1 appeared to be going into shock.  He complained of pain to his head, jaw, and back, saying it felt like his head was going to explode.  
  
  Operator1 relayed that he had turned his vessel to see Operator2 but Operator2 was unaware and crashed right into him.
  
  It wa