RedactedNarrative: ON 07/10/2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 9:51PM, A BOATING INCIDENT OCCURRED ON HIGH ROCK LAKE .4 MILES NORTH OF THE MOUTH TO DUTCH/SECOND CREEK IN SALISBURY, NC. THE VESSEL WAS AN 18-FOOT, 2001 STINGRAY 180 LX WITH A 135 MERCRUISER INBOARD OUTBOARD MOTOR. THE BOAT HAD A WALK-THROUGH WINDSHIELD DUAL CONSOLE WITH THE OPERATOR CONTROLS ON THE STARBOARD SIDE. THE BOAT WAS OWNED AND BEING OPERATED BY OPERATOR. THERE WERE 3 PASSENGERS ON BOARD THE VESSEL. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, PASSENGER 1 WAS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ON THE PORT SIDE OF THE VESSEL, PASSENGER 2 WAS SEAT AT THE STERN OF THE VESSEL BEHIND THE OPERATOR AND PASSENGER 3 WAS SEATED AT THE STERN OF THE VESSEL BEHIND THE PASSENGER. THE VESSEL STRUCK AN UNKNOWN PARTIALLY SUBMERGED OBJECT THROWING THE OPERATOR AND PASSENGER FROM THEIR SEATS. THE STRIKE ALSO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE HULL OF THE VESSEL. 
  
  
  THE FOUR INDIVIDUALS HAD BEEN TRAVELING BETWEEN 5 TO 10 MILES PER HOUR ENJOYING THE EVENING AND TALKING WHEN THE BUGS ON THE LAKE BECAME TOO MUCH TO HANDLE. THE OPERATOR DECIDED TO INCREASE THE SPEED OF THE VESSEL TO AVOID THE BUGS AND HEAD TOWARDS THE BOAT RAMP. THE VESSEL WAS TRAVELING NORTH WEST ON THE MAIN CHANNEL OF HIGH ROCK LAKE HEADED TOWARDS THE MOUTH OF DUTCH/SECOND CREEK. THE OPERATOR ESTIMATED THAT THE BOAT WAS TRAVELING AT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND HAD BEEN DOING THIS SPEED FOR AROUND 20 SECONDS. THE BOAT STRUCK AN OBJECT ON THE PORT SIDE. THIS CAUSED THE OPERATOR AND ONE OF THE PASSENGERS TO BE THROWN FROM THEIR SEATS. THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS 85 DEGREES AND THE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS 83 DEGREES. OPERATOR SAID THAT HE SAW AN OBJECT AT THE LAST SECOND AND TRIED TO MAKE AN EVASIVE RIGHT-HAND TURN BUT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID THE OBJECT COMPLETELY. OPERATOR WAS THROWN INTO PASSENGER 1 WHO WAS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. PASSENGER 1 WAS THROWN INTO THE WINDSHIELD STRIKING HER FOREHEAD. OPERATOR STATED THAT HE BELIEVED IF HE HAD NOT HIT PASSENGER 1 HE WOULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM THE BOAT. THE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE STERN OF THE BOAT STATED THAT THEY JUST BOUNCED UP IN THE AIR AND LANDED BACK IN THEIR SEATS. ONCE THE BOAT CAME TO REST, THE FOUR INDIVIDUALS NOTICED THAT IT WAS TAKING ON WATER. THE 3 PASSENGERS IMMEDIATELY PUT ON TYPE III PFDS. OPERATOR DID NOT PUT ON A PFD. THEY THEN CALLED 911 WHO TOLD THEM TO HEAD TO THE NEAREST DOCK. THE FOUR INDIVIDUALS TRAVELED TO YACHTSMAN DRIVE.  EMS AND MEMBERS OF LIBERTY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MET THE INDIVIDUALS DRIVE AND COMPLETED AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF OPERATOR AND PASSENGER 1. THEY INFORMED BOTH INDIVIDUALS THAT THEY NEEDED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. THE 2 INDIVIDUALS DECLINED TO BE TRANSPORTED BY EMS AND INSTEAD WERE TRANSPORTED TO ATRIUM HEALTH KANNAPOLIS BY OPERATOR'S SON.  PASSENGER 1 WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FOR A HEAD HEMATOMA AND BRUISING OF THE CHEST AND LEG.  OPERATOR WAS TREATED AND RELEASED FOR BRUISING TO HIS LEFT ARM AND MINOR BACK INJURIES.  THE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE STERN OF THE BOAT DID NOT SUFFER ANY INJURIES. THE INITIAL ANALYSIS OF THE BOAT AFTER THE INCIDENT REVEALED SEVERAL STRESS FRACTURES IN THE FIBERGLASS.  IT APPEARED THAT THE UNKNOWN OBJECT STRUCK THE BOAT IN THE BOW JUST BELOW THE REGISTRATION NUMBER. THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT WAS NOT CRACKED, IT JUST SHOWED SOME SEVERE SCUFF MARKS. THERE WERE FOUR SEVERE STRESS FRACTURES AND CRACKS IN THE OUTSIDE HULL OF THE BOAT. THESE FRACTURES AND CRACKS WERE AT OR BELOW THE WATER LINE OF THE BOAT AND WERE SEVERE ENOUGH TO ALLOW WATER TO ENTER THE BOAT. THE RUB RAIL ON THE BOAT SEPARATED FROM THE HULL DUE TO THE IMPACT. THERE WERE SEVERAL SPIDER CRACKS IN THE FIBERGLASS ON THE INTERIOR BOW OF THE BOAT. THE BOAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH ALL THE PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND THE NAVIGATION LIGHTS WERE FUNCTIONING AND IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.
  
   
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