RedactedNarrative: On july 16th, 2020 i received information about a boating incident on nantahala lake that had happened on monday july 13th, 2020.  Officer and i arrived at lakes end marina and began questioning the workers there if they had any information about a boating incident that had occurred on july 13th, 2020.  They told us that they had heard that operator had crashed his jet ski into a rock near the dam on nantahala lake.  They also told us that the subjects were staying at the house directly behind the island on nantahala lake.  
  
  Officer and i arrived at the dock.  A teenaged male walked down to dock and asked us if he could help us.  I asked him if his name was operator and how old are you.  He said yes and i am 17 years old.  I asked him if he had an adult there with him and he said yes.  A red and white jet ski then pulled up to the boat dock and the male operating the vessel identified himself as operator’s father. 
  
   I asked subject1 if operator had been involved in a boating incident earlier in the week and he said yes that they had already turned it into the insurance company.  I told him that we needed to look at the vessel to see the damage.  Operator took us behind the house where the vessel was located.  I asked operator what had happened, he explained that he was operating the sea doo 5 feet from the shoreline at a speed of 40 to 50 mph when he struck a submerged tree.  
  
  Operator continued to explain that upon impact he was thrown from the vessel.  According to operator he did not sustain any injuries and was not under the influence of any impairing substances.  After the collision, the sea doo began to sink but the bow stayed above water.  He stated that he was wearing his us coast guard approved type iii pfd.  While floating with the aid of his pfd operator was picked up by another boater but did not know their names.  He was then taken to the marina where his father picked him up by boat.  Subject1 and operator then towed the damaged sea doo to big choga access area and they loaded the sea doo by the winch on the trailer.  Subject1 said that he contacted geico insurance the following day to report the damage.  
  
  Upon examining the damaged vessel, i noticed the hull was punctured with pieces of wood.  There were several other cracks and holes in the hull.  The port and starboard sides of the vessel had some damage that was unrelated to the collision according to subject1.  There was a significant amount of water in the engine compartment indicating the vessel may have been submerged.  I asked subject how much he paid for the sea doo and he said $13,500.  I estimated the vessel to be a total loss based on damages that it had sustained. 
  
  I asked operator to guide us to where the incident occurred.  We followed him and his father to a point across from nantahala dam.  Operator said that he had hit one of the trees submerged in the water but was not sure which one.  There were numerous trees in the water at this location.  I marked the location on my gps and we left the scene.  
  
  Based on the facts that i have collected the cause of the boating incident was careless and reckless operation of the sea doo operated by operator.
  