RedactedNarrative: On February 19, 2016, around 7:15 a.m. agents were contacted about a boating incident that had occurred on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Upon arrival at the scene agents made contact with the occupants from one of the vessels involved in the incident, as well as a bystander who assisted with the incident.  Operator of vessel 1 (LA-8084-FW), stated that he and his passenger, along with the occupants of vessel 2, were headed out to fish around Negreet Bayou.  Operator 2 (LA-3454-ER), and was being accompanied by his brother. Operator1 stated that while on plane, he was trying to maneuver his way along the creek channel as to avoid any stumps. This required Operator1 to maneuver his vessel in a manner that required him to make several abrupt turns. 
   
  These turns, which were almost that of a 90 degree angle, produced some large wakes that eventually came together following the maneuver. Operator2 was trying to maneuver through the turns as well, when he hit the large wake produced from the lead vessel in a manner that caused his vessel to pitch to the starboard side, ejecting both of the gentlemen out of the vessel into the water. After the incident it was determined the men had two PFD's in the vessel, but neither gentlemen had one on when they entered the water.
   
     The small aluminum boat that the Operator2's were traveling in was very shallow in depth and not ideal for rough or choppy waters. So as the vessel made contact with the wake and pitched hard to the starboard side, the force caused their weight to shift in that direction, throwing both men into the water. Operator2 had also removed the operator's seat and replaced it with a pedestal seat. This caused him to sit level with the top of the gunwale and did not provide any type of stability. 
   
     Operator1 stated that as he came out of the turns, he looked back and noticed both subjects were located in the water, so he headed back to try and retrieve the gentlemen from the water. While in the process, vessel 2, which was still under power, struck vessel 1's port side roughly around 315 degrees, however, the strike caused vessel 2 to deflect and change course, traveling away from the occupants in the water. This allowed Operator1 and his passenger to remove Operator2 from the water. 
   
  A fisherman nearby was able to retrieve V2 occupant from the water. Both gentlemen were transported to land to receive medical attention. Medical treatment and CPR were performed on Operator2, but was not successful. V2 occupant was having trouble breathing so he was transported to University Medical in Shreveport. V2 occupant was treated, but was hospitalized for a condition that was unrelated to the incident. According to the autopsy report Operator2's death was drowning. All the witnesses of the incident stated that the gentlemen were in the water somewhere between three to five minutes and confirmed that neither had on a PFD. 
   
      After arriving on scene agents found that vessel 2 was still under power, but were able to make their way onto the vessel and shut it down. Both vessels were then transported back to Operator1's camp, so damage from the collision could be assessed. After inspecting the vessels, it was determined the bow eye of vessel 2 struck vessel 1, causing a substantial crack in the fiberglass of vessel 1. Then the port side of vessel 2 traveled up on to the port side of vessel 1 causing damage to the trolling motor of vessel 1, and leaving scratches down the side as it traveled almost the full length of the vessel before it deflected off. Operator1's vessel, which was insured, sustained $5,700 worth of damage. 
   
      While gathering information from those involved for report purposes, I was unable to get in contact with V2 occupant after several attempts, to gather his account of the incident. I spoke with Operator1 via telephone at a later date, to gather damage information and to check on V2 occupant's health status. In conclusion, it was determined that the sharp turns causing the wake, is what lead to vessel 2's occupants being thrown overboard. However, it was determined that Operator2 may have been following too closely to make the maneuver, neither operator acted in a careless or reckless manner.
   
  