A tragic boating accident in Georgia claimed the life of a 9-year-old boy on Monday, June 18, 2012. Another child, a 13-year-old boy, is still missing from this boating accident on Lake Lanier. According to police, the boating accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. Monday night near the Shoal Creek area on Lake Lanier.
The two boys were brothers on board a pontoon boat that was struck by another boat. According to emergency crews, it appeared that there were 13 people on the pontoon boat and that many of them were injured in this Georgia boating accident. Sadly, a young boy died at the scene, and another boy is presumed dead as 13-year-old Griffin Prince is still missing.
The driver of the other boat, Paul J. Bennett, 44, of Cuming, fled the scene of the crash, but police were able to make an arrest in this boating collision case. A DNF ranger who was responding to the accident saw the boat that Bennett was operating as it entered Bald Ridge Marina in Forsyth County.
Officials went to that marina and found the boat and Bennett around 1:30 a.m. Bennett was arrested for boating under the influence (BUI). However, the woman riding with him in the boat was not arrested.
Agencies from Gwinnett, Hall, and Forsyth counties are still searching for the missing boy. They have involved divers and a side-scan sonar device to help identify underwater objects.
Three pontoon passengers have been treated for their injuries and released from a local hospital, and the pontoon boat was recovered.
Our Atlanta DUI victim attorneys at Shane Smith Law extend our deepest condolences to the family of the two boys and wish all the Georgia BUI victims a full and fast recovery following this tragic boating crash.