A friendly outdoor day of boating turned into a tragedy for a 22-year-old Louisiana outdoorsman. Two friends went out on a frogging trip when a boating accident occurred. During the trip, the 14-foot aluminum-hull boat apparently struck something in the water. The boat began taking on water, and both men jumped out and attempted to swim to shore. The accident has stunned the community of Lafourche and left his family and loved ones grieving.

The boating accident happened in the early morning hours of March 26. The men jumped out of the boat, but only one made it back to shore. The other remained missing until March 27, when his body was recovered after a massive search effort. His friend told police that he yelled out for him and searched for him for about three hours. He estimated the time based upon when the boat crash occurred and when he was able to flag down another boater who happened to be passing his way.

The survivor claims he was wearing a life vest that malfunctioned but that his friend was not wearing one. Investigators are aware that both men were drinking during their outing but are unsure at this time if alcohol consumption played a role in the crash. The man's body was recovered after it floated to the surface approximately half a mile away from where the survivor swam to shore.

The survivor claims that the deceased man was driving the boat when the accident occurred. The boat had a hand-tiller motor which is controlled by a handle instead of a steering wheel. Louisiana state law requires that operators of that type of boat wear a life vest. Although the man claims that his friend was not wearing a life vest, investigators are still investigating the accident.

News reports do not hint at any criminal charges being filed against the survivor, although the boating accident report will likely shed more light on what happened. The family of the man who passed away may want to carefully review the results of the investigation to see what rights they may have stemming from this accident. Once all the facts are known, a determination may be made about what, if any, legal claims the family may wish to pursue.

Source: DailyComet.com, "Boat crash victim loved the outdoors," Katie Urbaszewski, March 28, 2012