A late night two-boat collision on Norris Lake resulted in one injury and one arrest, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said in a Sunday evening press release.
Union County Wildlife Officer Rick Roberts reported that on Saturday around midnight between Waterside Marina and Point 19, a runabout style boat carrying five passengers struck a pontoon boat carrying six passengers from behind. The collision sent two occupants of the runabout, who were not wearing life jackets, into the water. A nearby boat rescued the two ejected passengers.
A female passenger onboard the pontoon boat sustained minor head injuries and was transported to Tennova-North Knoxville Medical Center, the TWRA said.
Officer Roberts also reported that the runabout’s operator, Joshua Logan Ford, 26, of Andersonville, was taken into custody and charged with boating under the influence of alcohol, the TWRA said.
The operators of both vessels consented to blood alcohol testing, and results are pending, the press release said.
“The Agency is investigating all possible factors, including navigation rule violations and proper vessel lighting,” it said.
“TWRA Officers were out in full force this weekend participating in Operation DryWater, a nation-wide BUI enforcement campaign that is held on the weekend prior to July 4, which is historically the most dangerous boating holiday of the year,” the release said.
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