A weekend boating accident in the Great Lakes region led investigators to arrest a 32-year-old skipper who now faces alcohol-related charges.
Two people are dead and three others were injured after two boats collided in the South Channel off Harsens Island Sunday evening. The island is in Lake St. Clair at the south end of the St. Clair River, 50 miles northeast of Detroit. According to reports, a “cabin cruiser” was struck by a 25-foot Baja powerboat about 6:45 p.m.
Robert Koontz, 57, of Chesterfield Township, Mich., and 68-year-old Nancy Axford of Winnipeg, Manitoba, passengers aboard the cabin cruiser, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Baja ended up riding up and over the other boat, causing one occupant of the cabin cruiser to be thrown into the water. Three other passengers in the cabin cruiser were taken to hospitals.
The accident is still under investigation and alcohol appears to have been a factor in the crash, according to investigators.
