On 8/04/23 shortly before 7pm, Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) was off duty and contacted via cell phone about a boating accident at Wall Lake. WCO came 10-8 within minutes and contacted State Radio Dispatch and Metro Communications in Sioux Falls regarding the accident to try and gain more information. 

WCO learned that the accident happened a couple hours before he was contacted, and the victim (V1) was already at Sanford Emergency. WCO also learned that no parties were present at Wall Lake anymore. At this time WCO proceeded to Sanford Hospital. WCO was accompanied by a park ranger (PR) who was on duty. WCO knew at this time the reporting party was D1, who is identified below. 


Upon arrival to the emergency room at approximately 730pm, WCO met with victim and his mother. Tests were still being conducted on victim by doctors, but at that current time on 8/04/23, injuries consisted of a possible broken left collar bone, bone fracture behind left ear, and a small brain bleed. WCO was not able to visit with emergency room doctor due to seeing other patients. 

WCO asked Victim if he could talk about the boating accident. Victim agreed and made the following statements - victim was at the lake with four other friends who were on an inflatable tube at the time of impact and were witness (W1, W2, W3, W4) to what happened. Victim stated they were on the raft that afternoon in the swim zone at Wall Lake. 

The wind would push the raft out of the swim zone, and they would swim the raft back inside the swim zone and drift out again. This was done an unknown number of times. Victim did not remember seeing, hearing, or feeling the jet ski (V1) that hit him while sitting on the tube. Victim remembers “them” getting him back to the public boat dock, but he still did not know what was going on. Victim stated the kid who hit him and dad were with him at the dock. Victim stated he was in the vehicle of D1 for a time then jumped into W3’s truck who took him to the emergency room. D1 and W2 were also present in W3’s truck as they traveled to the hospital. WCO asked victim if police or rescue were ever at the lake. Victim said no. Victim indicated the accident happened around 4:30pm. Mother of victim advised WCO that D1 told her that O1 is 13 years old and very shaken up over the accident.  

WCO ended the conversation with victim and his mother at Sanford Emergency Room and proceeded to an address in Sioux Falls to visit with W1, W2, W3, and W4. These witnesses in total stated the following information – victim, W3, and W4 were on the tube when struck by V1. 

W1 was in the water swimming backwards pulling the tube backwards into the swim zone. W2 was in the middle of the tube, in the water also swimming and pushing the tube back into the swim zone. W2 was sitting on the tube but at the time of impact, was in the middle swimming and pushing the tube. 

W2 advised he would have also been hit if he had been sitting on the tube and not swimming it back into the swim zone. W2 advised W5 was close and witnessed the accident from their boat and came to help. 

W5 boat pulled victim out of the water and transported him and W1 back to the public boat dock. O1 had a brother, who was driving a second jet ski and tied a rope around the tube with W2, W3, and W4 still aboard and pulled them back to the swim zone at the same time W5 was taking victim and W1 to the boat ramp. 

These witnesses stated the V1 was going fast and the impact happened very quickly. W4 and others stated they were approximately 10 yards outside the marked swim zone. W2 and W1 stated they could both clearly read the writing on the swim zone buoys. 

When victim was hit, he ended up being knocked out, his body was still mostly on the tube, but head and part of upper body were in the water. W2 picked victims head up out of the water while he was not conscious. W2 stated victim regained consciousness very quickly, within about 20 seconds. W1 and W4 advised O1 turned the V1 around and was right there but just watched as if he was in shock. 

W1 stated at the dock D1 was very concerned about victim. D1 was very respectful, was trying to calm victim down and was trying see if victim had a concussion. W1 stated D1 refused to drive himself the hospital and had to go with them. W2, W4, victim and D1 rode to emergency room together. Victim, W1, W2, W3 and W4 arrived at the lake at approximately 3:18pm and the accident happened at approximately 4:30pm. Witnesses stated the lake was not busy with many other watercraft. W2 stated he did see V1 coming toward them and noticed O1 was not looking forward but to the side and appeared to be trying to get his brothers (W6) attention. W2 stated I could plainly see his (O1) head was turned away from us. WCO ended the conversation with these witnesses and drove to the GFP office in Sioux Falls where O1 and family were waiting to talk. 

WCO met and talked with O1, D1 and W6 reference the accident and the following is what they said – O1 stated that he and W6 took off from ramp together and started going around the lake. O1 stated he was looking at his brother (W6), “I saw him, and I was just driving and heard a thump.” 

O1 advised he looked back, stopped, and saw a tube with multiple people on it that I hadn’t seen before. D1 was at the parking lot with his wife parking the vehicle and empty trailer when he got a call from W6. W6 stated the incident happened within a couple minutes of launching their jet Ski’s. W6 stated the accident happened at least 100-150 yards west off the swim zone buoys. W6 states that W5 boat was between the buoys and the accident, and the accident happened west and north of there yet. D1 advised 

W6 called him at 4:21pm as victim was being loaded onto the W5’s boat. D1 stated told W6 to “bring victim back to the boat ramp and he would see if he needed to go the emergency room or what.” D1 stated W5 brought victim back to public boat ramp, victim got out of the boat and was asking what happened. D1 tried to assess victim’s injuries and if they needed to go to the hospital or call 911 and get an ambulance. D1 stated victim wanted to look at himself in the mirror so he walked with victim to the public bathrooms but there was no mirror. D1 said victim sat in his vehicle and looked into a mirror. D1 “asked victim if he could take him to the hospital because at this point, he was going to take victim into the emergency room.” D1 stated victim’s friends pulled up at this point to take him to hospital and D1 went with in W2’s vehicle with victim to Sanford Emergency room.  D1 did not want to leave victim alone. At this point WCO ended the conversation with D1 and family and called W5 on the phone, who helped victim to public boat ramp. 

W5 stated the following (WCO failed to get body camera turned on for phone call so there no video evidence of the conversation) – W5 stated he did witness the accident and immediately drove his boat over to try and help. W5 helped victim into his boat and took him to the public boat ramp. W5 stated V1 was going fast but could not give WCO a speed approximation. W5 stated the accident happed approximately 30 yards off the swim zone buoys. W5 loaned W6 a rope to pull tube and passengers back to the swim zone.

WALL LAKE
HARTFORD                      