A 22-year-old man charged with DUI in a boating accident that killed a passenger has pled not guilty to the charges. The crash occurred on Castle Rock Lake in July, when the defendant was driving a boat after partying. He was allegedly drinking at the time and ran into a bridge pillar, killing a male passenger. A blood alcohol test registered the driver’s BAC at .13 percent at the hospital following the crash.

The driver is charged with homicide as well as intoxicated operation of a boat. When he was brought into court to enter a plea, he remained silent, and the judge eventually entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of the defendant. There is no information at this point on a possible bond for the driver or on the reason he refused to enter a plea.

Drunk driving does not only apply to vehicles; drinking while boating can be extremely dangerous as well, as this story illustrates. The same problems occur with drunk boaters as with drunk drivers: lack of response time, loss of judgment and the inability to control a moving vehicle. While the problem of drunk boating is not as well-publicized as that of drunk driving, the consequences can be just as deadly.

Victims who have been injured in a boating accident or family members of a victim killed in boating collision may want to consult a personal injury attorney. Not only can a personal injury lawyer explain the victim’s rights, he or she can also represent the victim or the family in a lawsuit to recover damages.

Source: The Republic, “Not-guilty plea entered for boat operator involved in fatal Wisconsin crash,” Dec. 14, 2012