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Slightly over a week ago, a collision between two boats on Shoal Creek resulted in the death of a young woman and her daughter. At that time, a press release from ALEA's marine division said very little. The two crafts had steered into each other and nothing would be announced until after the investigation was completed.
What did the public think? Aunt Jane knows the first two things that popped into the minds of most who read of the tragedy. Apparently, we can disregard the first; the collision was in no way the fault of those on the small bass boat.
According to the Augusta Chronicle, Lauderdale coroner Butch Tucker stated that the much larger cabin cruiser hit the boat presumably belonging to Ross Wooten Jr. Wooten's son was also injured in the crash and treated at Huntsville Hospital for serious injuries.
Since that time, many have asked us the name of the pilot of the cabin cruiser. We have absolutely no idea. We do know, judging from past incidents on both land and water, there is usually an indictment before any arrests are made. How long this might take, we have no idea, but perhaps months.
Why the secrecy? The marine police is different from the more well known state troopers. This may be the standard protocol for that organization. It will be extremely interesting to see how this plays out. In the interim, rest assured that no one here at Shoalanda knows any names or is protecting anyone.
The Victims
I'm guessing here, but there's a good possibility one of the two boats involved didn't have night running lights on. It's a sad situation, regardless of the outcome. Prayers for the families of loved ones lost. This is why boat operators are now required to have a boat endorsement on their drivers license. Watercraft saftey is imperative for the safe operation of any boat on our rivers and lakes!
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