Reply With QuoteThis One?
Lake Butte des Morts
Alcohol Played Role in Fatal Powerboat Crash, Deputies Say
June 7, 2005, 06:35 PM
Alcohol Blamed in Fatal Powerboat Crash
By Mick Trevey
One man is dead and two others are in critical condition after a boating accident on Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County.
The sheriff's department says the mens' 34-foot powerboat slammed into a concrete seawall on the north shore just before midnight Monday night, and the men were thrown from the boat.
Alan P. Richards, 38, of Holland, Michigan, was killed. Todd Frisbie, 38, of Fremont, remained hospitalized in serious condition Tuesday. Matthew Bawn, 31, of Appleton, was treated at the hospital and released.
Investigators say Frisbie was operating the boat, and they cited him for operating while intoxicated.
Tuesday afternoon, Action 2 News learned Frisbie is a volunteer boating safety instructor for the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR tells us he's on suspension until the sheriff's department investigation is complete, and at that time he could be terminated from teaching.
Neighbors tell us the boat was going too fast for the area. "This shoreline is really dark at night. You can't tell what's going on if you don't know what's going if you don't know where you are," Kathy Schultz, a witness, said.
Crews worked Tuesday morning to recover the boat from its resting place on the rocky shoreline.
Alan Richards's family gathered along the shore to remember a man they say loved life.
His brother, Jeffrey Richards, said, "Let this be a lesson: Speed and alcohol don't mix. It kills. It's dangerous on the water, on the roads, everywhere, and it's hit close to home. A lot of people do it and get away with it but he rolled the dice too many times."
The Winnebago County district attorney said he's waiting for the sheriff's department to finish its investigation before he decides if criminal charges should be filed in the case.
