Charges possible in deadly Lake Norman crash

MOORESVILLE, N.C. --A late-night collision on Lake Norman that killed a 66-year-old man and injured his daughter and four others has law enforcement officials and lake residents calling for mandatory boater safety education.

Wednesday's collision near Mooresville marks the second boating fatality on Lake Norman this year. Lake Wylie has had two boat-related drownings this year.

Investigators with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission did not release the names of those involved in the crash. WCNC, the Observer's television news partner, identified the victim as Jerry Moore of Charlotte. His family did not want to comment Thursday night.

No charges have been filed, but an investigation continues.

Beer cans were found on the boats that collided, commission officer Brett Walsh said, but toxicology tests won't be available until next week at the earliest.

Some marina owners, boaters and law enforcement officials said Thursday that a surge in the number and size of boats on Lake Norman has added to safety concerns. They also cited a lack of education or licensing requirements for boaters and too little manpower for enforcement.

Current data on Lake Norman boat registrations weren't available Thursday, but Scott Hylton, an Iredell County lake enforcement officer, said that "it's a lot more crowded this summer than last summer."

Law enforcement on Lake Norman is split between Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties and the Wildlife Resources Commission.

Some boaters said the increased traffic has caused them to spend less time on the water.

Ann Shaughnessy, 51, whose family owns a home on Lake Norman, said she used to enjoy cruising in their pontoon and watching fireworks from the water on the Fourth of July.

"There are now too many irresponsible boaters on the lake," Shaughnessy wrote in an e-mail. "I would never go out after dark unless it was absolutely necessary."

The crash

About 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, a boat with the father and daughter was traveling about 200 feet behind a friend's boat near All Seasons Marina in Mooresville when the lead boat made a hard right turn to avoid a head-on crash with a boat holding three men, Walsh said.The boat with three men was being operated by Bradley Girard, WCNC reported. It hit the right side of the father and daughter's boat, investigators said. The lead boater, whose boat wasn't damaged, suffered minor cuts after jumping aboard the father and daughter's boat to perform CPR.

Two involved in the collision had severe head trauma and facial lacerations, and another suffered a broken neck. Two others were treated and released, including the daughter.

Walsh would not say who was at fault. The boats had working lights, he said, and were traveling between 25 and 35 mph.

Mooresville resident Janie Tilson, who was inside her home off Langtree Road, said the wreck "sounded like an explosion."

After she called 911, her boyfriend took one boat out to the scene and she took another.

"They were yelling, `Please help. Somebody help. We're hurt,' " Tilson said.

According to the latest boating report from the Wildlife Resources Commission, published in 2005, night accidents are rare, but when they do occur, alcohol is typically involved.

Of the 215 accidents on N.C. waters in 2005, only seven came at night. However, 11 of the 14 fatal accidents and 93 percent of the nonfatal ones involved alcohol, according to the report.

Safety training urged

Charlotte resident Mark Cauthen, 41, keeps a boat at Kings Point Marina in Cornelius. About two years ago, while boating with his lights on, a speed boat with no lights on barely missed him as it barreled past.

"It was enough of a scare that I just quit going out at night," Cauthen said.

People need to know how to use their lights, he said.

The problem is lack of boater education, said Lake Norman marine commissioner Nate Davis. Boaters are not required to be licensed or to take safety courses, he said. "You buy a boat, and off you go."

"I'd say 70 percent of all our citations and incidents are because of boaters that are uneducated to navigational rules and boating safety," said S.T. Davis, a lake enforcement officer with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. "They're just not prepared to boat." He said he'd like to see mandatory safety courses for boaters.

Several groups -- the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lighthouse Marine Services, and the Lake Norman Sail and Power Squadron -- offer boating courses.

"We generally get a good response," said Clyde Starr, class coordinator for the Sail and Power Squadron. "But obviously we're not getting everyone." -- WCNC contributed.

Waters are crowded -- and dangerous

Boating Deaths

Lake Norman

2007

•March: Mooresville boater Sean Larkins, 35, drowned after he fell overboard while taking his fiancée around on his new boat. Divers located his body after searching the waters of Lake Norman for more than two weeks.

2006

•January: Steven Kish, 30, a volunteer firefighter from Pennsylvania who was moving to Mooresville, fell off a houseboat full of friends who were watching football and drinking beer.• April: James Arnold Huffman, 71, of Lincolnton had been crappie fishing with his wife. He fell off the boat while trying to fix the depth finder.

•July: Richard Stallings, 46, of Mooresville was trying to swim across a cove to his pontoon boat and became exhausted, authorities said.

•Aug. 14: Ralph Samuel Davis, 59, was found between a boat and boat slip near his Cornelius home. Authorities said it was an accidental drowning.

•Aug. 21: Anthony Creed, 46, of Mount Airy drowned after jumping from a pontoon into the water. He and about 10 friends and relatives were on board. Authorities spent more than 24 hours looking for his body.

2005

•July: Pat Coble was riding as a passenger on a personal watercraft when her husband, blinded by the sun, didn't see a 23-foot deck boat. Coble hit the side of the boat and died about five hours later.

2004

•August: Robert Dancy, 25, drowned after the Lake Norman Raft-Up party ended. He dove after a camera that had fallen overboard, authorities said.

Lake Wylie

2007

•June: Phillip Nguyen was on a pontoon boat with seven other South Point High School students when he and another teen decided to jump off the boat and swim to a nearby island. Nguyen, whose family said he wasn't a strong swimmer, struggled in the water and drowned.• May: Corey Daniel Jones, 32, who had a prosthetic leg, was demonstrating how to cast a fishing net when he lost his balance and fell overboard.

2005

•April: A teenager drowned when he and three friends tried to escape a sinking makeshift raft near Copperhead Island. They were celebrating an unofficial "senior skip day" at Olympic High School. -- Marion Paynter, Staff researcher

Safety Classes

These groups offer boater safety courses: • N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission offers classes throughout the spring and summer. Search by county at www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_05_boating.htm. Details, cost: 919-707-0031.

•The Lake Norman Sail and Power Squadron: www.usps.org/localusps/lakenorman or 704-947-2729. $25.

•The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: 704-663-3333. $40.

•Lighthouse Marine Service: www.lmservice.org or 704-587-0325. $50.

•Capt. Alan Stopko holds classes at the Peninsula Yacht Club, 18601 Harbor Light Blvd.: 704-895-6993; astop@aol.com. $20.

For more info on boating rules and regulations:

•N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission: www.ncwildlife.org or 919-707-0040.

•S.C. Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.sc.gov or 843-953-9300.

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