One man has died after an accident in Louisiana. The boating accident occurred in St. Landry Parish and killed a 66-year-old man. The boat driver, a 47-year-old man, survived the accident uninjured. The two men left the boat launch the morning of the accident and were headed out to fish.

Investigators believe the driver may have hit some type of object in Lake Fordoche. The impact of the accident caused the boat to capsize. The investigator stated the area where the crash occurred is a swamp area so there were many logs barely visible and some were submerged beneath the surface of the water. Both of the men were thrown from the boat.

A fisherman who happened to be close to the area saw the uninjured man in the water. He was able to rescue him, but the other man was nowhere to be found. Authorities searched for two hours before they found the man's body. Neither man wore life preservers.

The investigator involved in this incident still does not know what exactly happened. Authorities do not believe alcohol played a factor in this boating accident, but they are still not sure how fast the driver was traveling in the water. The investigator stated that anyone driving a boat has to make speed adjustments depending upon the area they are traveling in. The accident is likely still being investigated.

Any time someone navigates a boat, caution for both themselves and another person is required. If negligence is documented as a factor in this deadly Louisiana boating accident, the man's family may have the legal right to pursue a personal injury claim. For now, the focus is likely on figuring out what happened as the family begins to deal with their unexpected and tragic loss.

Source: katc.com, "Man Dies in Morning Boating Accident in St. Landry Parish," Jenise Fernandez, July 20, 2012