RedactedNarrative: On July 25, 2021 at approximately 19:45 CST, V2 Operator was operating his 2015 Crest pontoon boat along the right side of channel, as he was heading back to his lake house in the Sandy Beach area. V2 Operator was cruising at approximately 10MPH, in a northwest heading in the section of the lake that parallels Spring Shore Lane. It was about 15 minutes before sunset and V2 Operator recounts that there were very few other vessels operating on the Lake. V2 Operator could hear the approach of another vessel coming up quickly from behind him, and then suddenly he felt, and heard, the impact of another vessel crashing into the stern of his pontoon boat. 
       V1 Operator was operating his 1995 Celebrity open motor boat, on a plane, and at approximately 30 MPH, into the same section of the lake that V2 Operator had navigated into moments before. V1 Operator had left the Tules Creek area and thought he was heading towards Nick's Marina. V1 Operator was traveling with three passengers: Injured 1 (who sat in the front seat next to him), Passenger 1, and Passenger 2 who both were sitting in the back seat. V1 Operator reported that he did not see the pontoon boat in front of him because of dark coloring of the vessel at the time of day. V1 Operator admits that he was distracted, and had taken his eyes off the water in front of him momentarily, and when he looked up it was too late to avoid impacting V2 Operator’s vessel.  
       According to V2 Operator, V1 Operator’s vessel encroached up and onto the back of the pontoon boat, before it slid back down.  The collision left V2 Operator’s vessel completely disabled as the impact smashed the vessel’s outboard motor.  As the two damaged vessels drifted apart, V2 Operator could see one of the passengers in the other boat (later identified as Injured 1) crying.  The other passengers helped Injured 1 to the back of boat to let her lay down as she was complaining of a pain in her back.  It was later learned that she had been involved in a motor vehicle accident several weeks prior and had suffered a back injury then.  
       V1 Operator began apologizing profusely to V2 Operator, saying that this was "my fault" and that "my insurance will take care of everything". There was still enough light to survey the damage to the vessels.  V2 Operator's vessel was disabled, having sustained heavy damage to his outboard motor. V1 Operator's vessel was still operational, and he asked permission of V2 Operator, if he could idle over to a nearby dock and unload his passengers. The injured passenger declined EMS assistance during this time, and after unloading his passengers, V1 Operator idled back out to the channel to wait near V2 Operator's vessel, for the arrival of law enforcement.
       By the time I arrived on scene, at roughly 20:25 CST, and due to darkness, I was only able to see the awaiting vessels by the aid of a flashlight. V1 Operator was standing in his vessel and greeted me with an immediate admission of "It's my fault", "I hit him" and, " I wasn't paying attention". V1 Operator told me that he was OK and that none of his passengers had any serious injuries. 
       I idled over to V2 Operator's vessel and he appeared uninjured as well.  V2 Operator’s son had just arrived, and was preparing to tow the disabled craft back to his lakeside residence.  I was able to get an idea of the extent of damage to the pontoon boat, but was unable to get photos due to the lighting conditions.  After obtaining registration information and operator’s license information from V2 Operator, I permitted him to leave the scene, and he was towed back to the Sandy Beach area by his son.  
       I then made my way back to V1 Operator's vessel, where I positioned my patrol vessel against his. I was close enough to V1 Operator at this point, that I could detect the strong smell of an alcohol beverage on his breath.  I asked V1 Operator if he had been drinking to which he answered in the affirmative and estimated that he had consumed roughly 5 to 10 bottles of beer that day. I was able to obtain V1 Operator’s vessel registration information and his operator's license.  Though his motor boat was still operational, I made the decision to tow him to the nearby docks for temporary moorage until I could determine if he was under the influence of alcohol. The passengers had already left the shore, and Injured 1, the one reporting back pain, was taken to Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center where she was later treated and released.
       Once his vessel was moored to the dock, V1 Operator submitted to seated field sobriety testing.  V1 Operator demonstrated multiple clues on each of the tests.  A Preliminary Breath Test for alcohol was requested of V1 Operator, and showed a presence of alcoholic beverages in his system.  I then informed V1 Operator that he was under arrest for Boating under the influence of alcohol and then subsequently booked into the Breckinridge County Detention Center. 
  
  