SONOMA CO.: UPDATE: MAN KILLED IN BOAT'S PROPELLER ON LAKE SONOMA
05/06/07 7:55 PDT
A man got caught in the propeller of a boat and died this afternoon on Lake Sonoma and a Petaluma man is in jail on suspicion of boating under the influence of alcohol, according to a statement from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department.
Another boater flagged a sheriff's patrol boat around 3:44 p.m. and told authorities of a possible boating accident on the Warm Springs arm of Lake Sonoma near Jet Ski cove.
Deputies there found a man stuck in the propeller of a MasterCraft ski boat. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and his identity is not being released pending the notification of his family.
According to the sheriff's department, it appears that the man was a passenger in the boat and had been sitting on the rear deck near the propellers while the boat was backing just before the incident occurred.
The driver of the boat, 25-year-old Will Dawson, was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of boating under the influence of alcohol.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake Sonoma Marine Unit at (707) 433-0728.