Okanagan Lake boater ends up on local wharf
By Nelson Daily Staff
Here’s a boater that should take a refresher Safe Boating Course.
Tuesday (July 9) evening RCMP in Penticton was called to the City Wharf after a boater parked his vessel on the dock.
Luckily, only one occupant on board received minor injuries, all the while several tourists on the wharf scrambled out of the way.
The accident happened around 10:30 p.m. at the Rotary Park pedestrian wharf at the South end of Okanagan Lake.
RCMP investigators attended and detained the boat operator at the scene.
Several witnesses were interviewed by police, after many of them had just been enjoying a stroll on the wharf with some scrambling from benches that were in the direct path of the 28 foot day cruiser style boat.
At the time of the crash there were two occupants on board and was operated by a 45-year old Penticton man.
His passenger, a 43-year-old Richmond woman was the only injured party receiving only a small cut to the side of her face. None of the persons who were out enjoying their evening were injured.
Officers had grounds to compel the boat operator to provide a breath sample at the scene, which led to his providing further breath samples at the police office.
The second set of breath samples indicated that the man’s blood alcohol levels were at the cusp of being just over or under the legal limit.
Investigators are continuing their investigation with the possibility of unsafe or dangerous operation of a vessel being considered.
“It certain is a pretty jarring visual reminder for all boaters to operate their boats in a safe manner and to ensure they are familiar with their surrounds while under way. We are very fortunate that by a stroke of luck that nobody was serioulsy hurt or killed, ” said Cpl Dan Moskaluk .
