RedactedNarrative: AT APPROXIMATELY 1:56AM ON  WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 20, 2016, TWO FISHERMEN WERE FISHING FOR SHAD ALONGSIDE THE ROANOKE RAPIDS DAM ON ROANOKE RAPIDS LAKE. THE OPERATOR REPORTEDLY TIED THE BOAT UP TO THE DAM AND THEN HE PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO THROW HIS CAST NET. THE ROPE CAME UNTIED FROM THE DAM AND THE BOAT BEGAN TO DRIFT TOWARDS THE FLOOD GATE ON THE DAM. THE WATER WAS BEING PULLED THROUGH THE FLOOD GATE AT A RATHER FAST PACE, CAUSING THE BOAT TO DRIFT FASTER TOWARDS THE OPENING. THE OPERATOR TRIED TO CRANK THE ENGINE TO DRIVE AWAY FROM THE FLOOD GATE, BUT HE REPORTED THAT HIS ENGINE WOULD NOT CRANK. THE STERN OF THE BOAT WAS DRAWN THROUGH THE FLOOD GATE'S OPENING DUE THE FAST CURRENT.  AS THE BOAT WAS BEING PULLED THROUGH THE GATE, PASSENGER GRABBED AHOLD OF THE GATE AS THE BOAT WAS PULLED OUT FROM UNDER HER.  OPERATOR WAS THEN PULLED DOWN THE FLOOD GATE SHUTE WITH THE BOAT AND WAS GROUNDED ON THE ROCKS BELOW THE DAM.  A FEW MOMENTS LATER, PASSENGER LOST HER GRIP ON THE GATE AND WAS SWEPT DOWN WITH THE CURRENT. OPERATOR, THOUGH DAZED, SAW PASSENGER AND JUMPED IN TO PULL HER OUT OF THE RIVER CURRENT AND ONTO THE ROCKS AT THE BASE OF THE DAM.  BOTH INDIVIDUALS WERE DAZED AND BRUISED BUT WERE ABLE TO HIKE THROUGH THE ROCKS TO THE CEMENT FOUNDATION OF THE DAM AND WALK TO A NEARBY SET OF STAIRS.  OPERATOR WAS THEN ABLE TO ASCEND THE STAIRS AND MAKE CONTACT WITH AN EMPLOYEE AT THE DAM. HALIFAX COUNTY EMS RESPONDED AND ROANOKE RAPIDS POLICE RESPONDED TO THE SCENE.
  
  I WAS CONTACTED BY RALIEGH DISPATCH AT 3:45 AM THAT SAME MORNING.  I IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED TO HALIFAX REGIONAL EMERGANCY ROOM TO INTERVIEW THE VICTIMS AND CHECK ON THEIR STATUS. BOTH VICTIMS WERE CONSCIOUS AND COHERENT WHEN I ARRIVED. OPERATOR HAD A SLIGHT ODOR OF AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE ON HIS BREATH AND HIS EYES WERE BLOOD SHOT AND HIS SPEECH WAS VERY SLOW.  I ASKED THE NURSE IF HE WAS ON ANY MEDICATION THAT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE SIMILAR SIDE EFFECTS TO ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT.  I WAS INFORMED THAT HE WAS NOT AND THE HE HAD BEEN THAT WAY SINCE HIS ARRIVAL. I WAS LATER INFORMED BY THE MEDICAL STAFF THAT OPERATOR HAD A HIGH BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION.  AS I CONDUCTED MY INTERVIEW WITH THE VICTIMS, I ASKED OPERATOR IF HE HAD HAD ANY ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.  HE INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD HAD ABOUT 3 BEERS.  A FEW MINUTES LATER I ASKED PASSENGER IF OPERATOR HAD BEEN DRINKING THAT EVENING. SHE TOLD ME THAT OPERATOR HAD BEEN DRINKING BEFORE SHE HAD ARRIVED AT HIS HOUSE AROUND 11:00PM THAT EVENING. HE HAD ASKED HER TO DRIVE THE TRUCK TO THE BOAT ACCESS AREA ON 5TH STREET BECAUSE HE KNEW HE WAS IMPAIRED. OPERATOR HAD ALSO PLACED A COOLER FILLED WITH BEER AND ICE IN THE BOAT PRIOR TO LAUNCHING.  AT APPROXIMATLY 12:30 AM, OPERATOR AND PASSENGER LEFT THE ACCESS AREA BY BOAT AND PROCEEDED TOWARDS THE DAM.  OPERATOR WAS OPERATING THE BOAT AND EVENTUALLY TIED THE BOAT TO THE DAM IN ORDER TO THROW THE CAST NET.  OFFICER2 THEN ASKED PASSENGER IF WE WOULD FIND ANY ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AT THE SCENE.  SHE ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS ALCOHOL ON BOARD THE VESSEL.  WE ASKED PASSENGER WHAT THEY DID BETWEEN 12:30AM AND THE ACCIDENT.  SHE REPORTED TO US THAT THEY HAD JUST SAT AND DRIFTED AND TALKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE PULLING UP TO THE DAM IN ORDER TO THROW THE CAST NET.  ACCORDING TO BOTH VICTIMS, THE ACCIDIENT HAPPENED A FEW SECONDS AFTER THEY HAD ATTEMPTED TO TIE THE BOAT TO THE DAM.  NEITHER THE OPERATOR NOR THE PASSENGER WERE WEARING PERSONAL FLOATATION DEVICES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.
  
  BASED ON THE TESTIMONY OF BOTH VICTIMS, AS WELL AS THE TESTIMONY OF THE HALIFAX REGIONAL MEDICAL STAFF CONCERNING HIS BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT, AND MY OWN OBSERVATIONS OF THE OPERATOR, I BELIEVE THAT THE BOAT OPERATOR WAS IMPAIRED AND THAT HIS IMPAIRMENT WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE ACCIDENT.