On Friday, a boat driver was indicted with 16 counts resulting from a fatal boating accident in July. The accident happened in Dundalk, Maryland when 56-year-old Timothy Jay Wilson was operating a 37-foot Sea Ray Sundancer boat along a shipping channel when he crashed his boat into a concrete pillar near the Key Bridge. The impact was devastating, causing two women to be ejected from their seats with great force. Those women, 40-year-old Windy Lawson and 45-year-old Kimberly Ervin, were killed in the accident and their bodies were recovered several hours later. Lawson and Ervin had just met Wilson that night and agreed to travel with him and his friends to get some drinks. After a four-month investigation into the crash by the Maryland Natural Resources Police, Wilson has now been charged with multiple charges including manslaughter by vessel and operating the vessel while impaired.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that 610 people were killed in boating accidents in 2014. The number of fatalities in boating accidents vs. car accidents is significantly lower; however, the rate of death by accident is high. There are obviously more motor vehicles on roadways compared to watercraft in waterways making it more common for a vehicle to be involved in a crash. However, the number one cause of boating accidents is negligent and reckless driving. The at-fault boater should be held responsible for any damages they have caused, and consulting an experienced boating accident attorney can assist in obtaining that justice.
The St. Louis boating accident attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth have the resources and knowledge required to successfully handle your case. Our attorneys will support you throughout the case by communicating effectively. We will work diligently to recover the maximum compensation for your damages to hold all negligent parties responsible. Contact us today for a free no-obligation consultation.