RedactedNarrative: Three subjects were cruising on Wallace Lake in a Prodrive vessel, LA 3663 GB, on this date.  They were headed east, on plane, in the channel and made a right turn into an unfamiliar area of the lake.  The area had a lot of trees and at some point the operator decided to make a sharp right hand turn to go through a gap in the trees.  
  
  The vessel started to slide on top of the water, which is typical for this type of flat bottom vessels, and Operator tried to correct the slide to no avail.  The vessel collided with a tree at the front, starboard side of the bow.  The collision did cause Operator to be ejected from his seat into the water.  
  
  It caused passenger #2 who was seated in a lawn chair, to be thrown in the bottom of the boat.  It also caused passenger #3 who was seated on an ice chest, to be thrown into the front bow of the boat.  Passenger3's legs went under the bow deck, and his upper body went over the bow deck.  That force, and the position of his legs, caused obvious injury to Passenger3's right leg or ankle.  
  
  Passenger2 helped Operator back into the boat, and then drove them all back to the boat launch where Operator did take Passenger3 to get medical attention.  
  
  At approximately 8:30 p.m., I made contact with Passenger2 at the launch.  He was obviously upset, and I asked him if everything was ok.  He began to tell me what happened.  As he was explaining to me his version of the incident, I did notice evidence of alcoholic beverages in the boat.  I then looked at the damage to the vessel, and there was a noticeable dent.  At this time, no one knew the condition of Passenger3 or where they were.  It was discovered that Passenger2 and Operator lost their cell phones in the water, and Passenger3's phone was still in the boat dry box.  Passenger2's information was obtained, and he was released.  
  
  Operator’s version did coincide with Passenger2's version.  During that interview, I specifically asked Operator how much alcohol he consumed that day and he stated "not much".  He assured me he was not impaired.  I specifically asked him if he was wearing the kill switch lanyard, and he stated no.  When asked about his brother, Passenger3, Operator stated that his leg was broken, and he would require surgery.  
  
  After getting Operator's verbal statement, I gave him the operator boating incident report to complete, which he did.  After learning that Passenger3 had been released from the hospital, I made arrangements to meet with him at his residence for an interview.  I arrived at his residence at approximately 11:00 a.m. His verbal statement as to what happened was short and vague, but it did coincide with the other two occupants' statements.  Both of his leg bones were broken between his knee and ankle and they had to put rods and screws in his leg to repair.  Passenger3 was given a voluntary statement of fill out, and his father gave me Operator's filled out report that was left for me.  A couple days later, I made contact with Passenger3 concerning his statement, he advised me by text message that, "I feel as if there is no need for my statement.  After all, there's not much to investigate."  
  
  On Monday, June 10, 2019, I made contact by phone with Operator and asked him to meet me at the Wallace Lake boat ramp.  He complied and when he arrived I asked him if he would go out into the lake with me to see if he could remember specifically where the incident happened.  At this time, I had no idea where exactly it happened because no one involved could recall.  He agreed and we searched for approximately an hour, but Operator could not recall the exact location.  He did recall that he did turn right out of the main channel, while traveling east, which would have put the incident occurring in Desoto Parish.  
  
  We returned to the boat launch and at that time I began to explain to Operator my intentions based on all evidence and facts concerning the incident.  He was cited for Reckless Operation of a Watercraft and Failure to Comply with Tiller Outboard Engine Cutoff Less than 26'. Operator was compliant and cooperative during the entire process.  In conclusion, after examining all the evidence and facts concerning this incident, the contributing factors were:  (1) Operator Inexperience, (2) Excessive Speed, and (3) Sharp Turn.  The vessel was equipped with enough PFD's for all occupants, but they were not worn.  The vessel was equipped with a kill switch lanyard, but it was not worn by the operator.  Photographs of the vessel and its damage, witness statements, and the operator's boating incident report are attached to this report.  Passenger3's written voluntary statement is not attached because he refused to give it.
  