RedactedNarrative: On September 18, 2015 I, Ranger First Class (RFC) with the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division was notified by Corporal (Cpl.) of a boating incident that occurred, on the evening of September 17, 2015 in Penholloway Creek, in Wayne County. The coordinates of the incident location was N 31 33. 460 and W 81 41.915. The incident involved two vessels. One vessel was heading down stream with three occupants. The other vessel was heading up stream with one occupant. The two vessels collided with each other in a sharp bend in the creek. Three occupants were ejected into the water. One occupant was found deceased and the other two occupants were transported to the hospital. The operator of the other vessel refused medical treatment. The vessel with three occupants was found capsized. The vessels were removed from the river and transported to the Wayne County Jail. 
  
  I learned the vessel heading up stream was a Carolina Skiff and the vessel heading downstream was a Tracker. The Tracker was found capsized near a cypress tree on the southern creek bank. V1 deceased victim was found approximately 3 to 5 feet from his vessel face down in the water. He had a laceration on the left side of his head, near the hair line. Most of V1 injured victim1’s injuries were internal, on his right side. These injuries included broken bones, contusions, and abrasions. V1 injured victim2 had minor injuries including contusions and abrasions. Cpl. interviewed Operator2 after he was transported back to the Paradise Park boat ramp.
  
  Cpl. informed me while interviewing Operator2 he did not observe any signs or evidence of the use of alcohol. He also informed me Ranger (RNG.) interviewed V1 injured victim2 and V1 injured victim1 at the hospital, the night of the incident. Cpl. and I processed the vessels to document evidence and damage (See photo logs, photographic evidence, and vessel inventories). 
  
  We began with the Tracker (Vessel 1). It was a 2015 model. It was green in color and 14.9 feet in length. It had a Beam width of 4.8 feet and a freeboard height of 1.6 feet. It was a tiller steer open vessel. It was powered by a Suzuki 25 horsepower engine. Vessel 2 had crushing damage to the starboard bow. Mud and tree bark material were inside the crushed area (See photos 010 and 208).
  
  Due to the stress the bow encountered, all but a couple rivets failed to hold the bow seat in place. See photos 022 and 037). It had scratch marks in two concentrated locations, near the middle and rear seat, on the port gunwale (See photos 008,187, and 188). The center of these damage locations were approximately 6.1 feet and 11.0 feet from the bow to the stern. The round gunwale was flattened in these two areas and paint was flaking off. A portion of the port gunwale, near the middle seat area, was crushed in towards the center of the vessel. The center of this damage was approximately 6.1 feet from the bow. It had scratches and white scuff marks on top of the engine cowl. The cowl was cracked and damaged on the front (See photos 032,034, and 052). The starboard gunwale was pushed outward from the center of the vessel, between the bow seat and middle
  seat. The round gunwale was cracked in this location (See photos 011 and 134). The crack was 4.1 feet from the bow to the stern on the starboard gunwale.
  
  We then processed the Carolina Skiff (Vessel 2). It was a 2007 model. It was white in color and 15.6 feet in length. It had a beam width of 5.4 feet and a freeboard height of 2 feet. It was a stick steer open vessel. It was powered by a Yamaha 50 horsepower engine.  Vessel 1 had very little damage compared to Vessel 2. It had scuff marks in the center of the hull (See photos 162 through 166 and 190 through 191). It had scratches on the port and starboard chines. Fiberglass was damaged on