ON FRIDAY, 6/23/2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 16:50 HRS, A BOATING INCIDENT OCCURRED ON HIGH ROCK LAKE RESULTING IN APPROXIMATELY $18,000.00 IN DAMAGE TO ONE VESSEL AND $2500.00 IN PROPERTY DAMAGE TO A LANDOWNER'S FENCE AND TREE.  THE VESSEL INVOLVED WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY OPERATOR AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.  THE VESSEL WAS OCCUPIED BY OPERATOR AND HIS FATHER, PASSENGER.  ALTHOUGH BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE EJECTED IN THIS INCIDENT, NEITHER WERE INJURED.

OPERATOR AND HIS FATHER WERE TRAVELING NORTHEAST IN ABBOTT'S CREEK ON HIGH ROCK LAKE AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH.  OPERATOR STATED THAT HE WAS OPERATING THE VESSEL AT ABOUT HALF THROTTLE.  HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN THE WATER.  HE DID NOT SEE THIS DEBRIS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE TO TURN.  THE VESSEL RAN OVER THE DEBRIS AND THE LOWER UNIT OF THE MOTOR IMPACTED IT VERH HARD.  THIS IMPACT CAUSED THE BOW OF THE VESSEL TO DIP DOWN INTO THE WATER AND CAUSED IT TO TURN HARD AND FAST TO THE LEFT.  THIS IMPACT AND TURN CAUSED THE OCCUPANTS TO BE THROWN INTO THE CENTER CONSOLE AND OUT THE STARBOARD SIDE OF THE VESSEL.  OPERATOR WAS NOT WEARING THE KILL SWITCH LANYARD AND THE MOTOR DID NOT TURN OFF WHEN HE WAS EJECTED.  WHEN OPERATOR AND HIS FATHER WERE THROWN FORWARD INTO THE CONSOLE, THEIR BODIES PUSHED THE THROTTLE TO THE FULL FORWARD POSITION.  THE VESSEL THEN CONTINUED STRAIGHT AT FULL THROTTLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS UNTIL IT IMPACTED A LARGE OAK TREE AND PICKET FENCE LOCATED ON THE PROPERTY OF PROPERTY OWNER.  THE VESSEL SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE BOW AND HEAVILY DAMAGED THE TREE AND FENCE.  NEITHER OCCUPANT WAS WEARING A PFD BUT WERE ABLE TO SWIM UNTIL THEY WERE PICKED UP BY ANOTHER PASSING VESSEL.

MASTER OFFICER 1 WITH THE NCWRC LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION RECEIVED A CALL FOR THIS BOAT INCIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 16:50HRS AND ARRIVED ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 17:40 HRS.  OFFICER 1 SPOKE WITH THE OCCUPANTS AND HAD OPERATOR COMPLETE THE MB4.1 FORM.  HE ALSO GOT A WITNESS STATEMENT FROM PASSENGER AND TOOK NUMEROUS PHOTOS.  OPERATOR ESTIMATED THAT THE DAMAGE TO HIS VESSEL WAS AROUND $18,000.00.  OFFICER 1 ALSO SPOKE TO THE OWNER OF THE PROPERY WHERE THE VESSEL CAME TO REST.  THE IMPACT OF THE VESSEL WITH THE TREE AND FENCING CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE TO BOTH.  PROPERTY OWNER ESTIMATES THAT THE DAMAGE TO HIS TREE AND FENCING IS APPROXIMATELY $2500.00.

OPERATOR HAS MANY YEARS OF BOATING EXPERIENCE AND HAS COMPLETED AN ONLINE BOATER EDUCATION COURSE.  THE AREA AROUND HIGH ROCK LAKE HAD JUST RECEIVED A LARGE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT WASHING A LOT OF DEBRIS OFF OF THE BANKS AND INTO THE LAKE.  SOME OF THE DEBRIS CAN BE MOSTLY SUBMERGED AND VERY DIFFICULT FOR BOATERS TO SEE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.  THE INITIAL CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT IS THAT THE LOWER UNIT OF THE MOTOR STRUCK A PIECE OF THIS DEBRIS AND CAUSED THE BOAT TO QUICKLY SLOW AND TURN TO THE PORT SIDE EJECTING BOTH THE OPERATOR AND PASSENGER.  WHILE STRIKING THE OBJECT MAY HAVE BEEN UNAVOIDABLE, THE CONTINUATION OF THE VESSEL INTO THE OAK TREE WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY AVOIDED IF OPERATOR HAD BEEN WEARING THE VESSEL'S KILL SWITCH LANYARD.  

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WERE NOT A FACTOR AND OPERATOR WILL NOT BE CHARGED WITH ANY CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN THIS INCIDENT.

***PLEASE NOTE:  THIS REPORT WAS MANUALLY ENTERED IN BARD DUE TO CONTINUED TRANSMISSION ISSUES BETWEEN REPORT BEAM AND BARD. ***

*****BARD, PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THIS REPORT*****


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HIGH ROCK LAKE
LEXINGTON                     