RedactedNarrative: On Friday, July 5th, 2019 at 1:57 p.m. Winston County dispatch alerted the reporting Trooper of a multi vessel crash on Smith Lake in Winston County near the Corinth Recreational area.  Based on operator statements, witness statements, and evidence at the scene the reporting Trooper was able to determine the following: 
  
  Vessel one was traveling north through a slough on Smith Lake near the Corinth Recreational Area in Winston County approaching a point. Vessel one was towing a tube with two juveniles on it. Vessel one was occupied by the operator, three other adult uninjured occupants and three juvenile victims. All of the victims were seated in the bow of vessel one. While towing the tube at planing speed, the operator left the controls and vessel one veered to the right toward the shoreline at the mouth of the slough. Vessel one partially ran aground in the shallow water and struck a low hanging tree on the shoreline. The 3 juvenile victims seated in the bow of the vessel were struck by the tree causing fatal injuries to the female juvenile victim seated near the center of the bow and serious injuries to the male and female juveniles seated on the port and starboard side of the bow. Immediately after the crash a witness vessel called 911 and then stopped and took the most seriously injured juvenile to the boat ramp. Another vessel towed vessel one and other victims to the Corinth recreational area boat ramp.
  Due to the nature of the injuries associated with the crash the reporting Trooper administered Standard Field Sobriety Tests on the operator of vessel one. The Winston County District Attorney also requested a sample of the operator’s blood and urine. The operator did not show any clues of impairment while performing the tests and signed a voluntary consent for blood and urine. Corporal along with a Winston County Deputy transported the operator to Lakeland Hospital in Haleyville, AL for the collection. The reporting Trooper does not suspect that there was any kind of impairment involved.
  