Fatal Boating Accident Is Recounted
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have not completed their investigations of two boating accidents on Jackson Lake Easter weekend which resulted in two fatalities.
“Both cases are currently still under investigation. Upon completion and review of the reports, they will be delivered to the District Attorney’s office. Since both accidents resulted in fatalities, he will ultimately make the final determination as to specific charges in both incidents,” said Capt. Barry Fincher of the DNR.
However, News writer Ted Dunagan has talked with two people on the boat that was hit early Easter Sunday. Their accounts follow.
Brad Perry, a senior at Monticello High School was one of the people aboard the ski boat involved in the accident on Jackson Lake in the early hours before dawn Easter Sunday.
He was kind enough to give us an interview, and described the incident as follows:
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“We were puttering along at idle speed. The other boat was only about 20 feet away from us when it became visible, just a second or two before it hit us.
“We were about midway in dropping to the floor of our boat, and barely had time to react before the impact.
“Only one of us was hurt. He bruised his arm and fell part of the way out of the boat and got a little wet before he got back in. He did have a little anxiety attack after that.
“After the impact we made sure everyone in our boat was okay. By then the other boat had drifted about thirty feet away from us and we couldn’t see them because they had no lights.
“I didn’t even see any lights from their boat before it hit us. I looked up when I heard the sound real close and all I saw was a shadow before it hit us.
“Their boat kind of jumped ours when it hit because it struck our ski tower. That tower saved us. If not for it we could have all died.
“Brittany Lawrence called 911 as soon as we made sure everyone was okay on our boat, then we eased over toward the other boat where they were pulling the guy out who was killed. They asked us what to do and we told them we should all get to land.
“A lady on their boat kept calling out for her baby and we thought there was a child in the water and were about to jump in the water looking for it, but it turned out she was talking about the man who was killed.
“Jessica Kitchen was driving our boat. Some people seem to think it was our fault and drunk driving was involved, but that’s not true because we had our lights on and were traveling very slow. I’ve been on the lake all my life and everything was legal on our boat. There was some beer aboard, but we had two people over 21 with us, and no tickets were written to anyone by DNR.
“The other boat was traveling very fast and the ski bar saved our lives, no doubt about.”
Ben Armistead, whose family owns the ski boat also talked to us and his comments run along the same line as Mr. Perry’s.
Mr. Armistead said, “I first realized that boat was going to hit us when he was about sixty feet away from us. They definitely didn’t have any lights and we didn’t even have hardly a second to do anything after that.
“We realized immediately the person on that boat had been killed. It was obvious from the impact he took.
“I’m tired of all the rumors going around. There were only two people on my boat who had drank beer and they were both of age, and they had only had two or three all day. The driver and none of us others were drinking.
“One rumor is that we ran into them, when it’s pretty obvious what happened. That boat ran all the way up my ski tower—eight feet out of the water. All of our lights were on and none of theirs were.
“We were going at idle speed, about six miles-per-hour, and I would guess that boat was going 40 plus. If there had been anything wrong with me, DNR certainly wouldn’t have allowed me to pull my boat to town and back it into a lot.
“DNR has reconstructed the incident and I’m getting my boat back this week.”
