RedactedNarrative: On Saturday, July 21st at approximately 4:30pm, a boating incident took place in the main channel of Lake Norman near Hager's Creek.   A personal watercraft (V2) was cruising slightly behind two pontoon boats which flanked him on both sides.  As (V2) passed between them, (V1) was on his port-side and a unknown pontoon boat was on his starboard-side.  (V2) was attempting to overtake the vessels and turned to his port-side crossing in front of (V1).  The bow end of (V1's) port-side pontoon struck the mid-section of the port-side of (V2).  The operator of (V2) was ejected and he obtained a small cut on his left arm requiring 2 stitches.  He was taken to the VA hospital in Salisbury, NC.  The bow end of the port-side pontoon was damaged on (V1).  It was bent indicating a direct impact.  On (V2) the fiberglass on the port-side gunnel was cracked, the seating above it was ripped and the rear reloading bar was snapped off in the same area.
  
  Operator2 was operating (V2), a 10-foot, 10-inch Yamaha FX1000F personal watercraft with no passengers onboard at the time of the incident.  The operator of (V1), a 19-foot, 4-inch Bennington SX20 pontoon boat, could not be determined.  Numerous individuals were present, but no one was willing to talk to law enforcement about this incident.  The actual operator and passengers of (V1) could not be determined because they immediately fled after dropping off the vessel.  The pertinent information for the individual who rented (V1) was not obtained by the rental agency and therefore he could not be reached or positively identified.  Several witnesses said that there had been multiple operators over the course of the day, but no one would say who was operating at the time of the incident.
  
  All the required boating safety equipment was available on both rented vessels.  It could not be determined if alcohol or drugs were  a factor in this case.
  
  Based on the physical evidence and the interview with the operator of (V2) it was determined that (V2) was at fault.  The fact that he was overtaking (V1) would make him the give-way vessel.  The operator of (V1) should have maintained course and speed, while (V2) should have altered his course and speed to ensure clearance before cutting in front of (V1).  (V2) operated his PWC without due regard for the safety of others.  He was issued a citation for careless and reckless operation.
  
   (V2) worked out an agreement with the rental company to purchase the PWC from them in the amount of $3500.  This amount exceeded the total damages to the vessel.
  
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