Norman Medical Malpractice Attorney

Boater charged with negligence in Lake Norman accident

The boater involved in an accident that injured a swimmer last week faces misdemeanor charges, and the victim has lost her arm because of the injuries, a lake official said Sunday.

Dennis Franklin Allen has been charged with negligent operation of a motorboat, endangering life and limb, and operation of a motorboat with insufficient life jackets, said Master Officer Kenneth Osborne Jr. of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Allen was driving a rental boat that ran over a passenger who had jumped out to swim in Lake Norman on June 25, authorities said.

The passenger, 25-year-old Deondra Scott, remained in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center on Sunday after surgery to amputate her right arm.

"It's a horrible accident. It's just that, an accident, but it could have been avoided," said Osborne.

Officers were out in force on Lake Norman during the hot and crowded Independence Day weekend - using boats, planes and a "Booze It and Lose It" bus - to avoid further tragedy, Osborne said. Boating officers who aren't normally assigned to the lake have been brought in.

Friends of Scott, a waitress at the Concord Mills Olive Garden and at the uptown EpiCentre's Vida restaurant, are raising money to help with the cost of what is expected to be a long recovery.

"A lot of people, even from the lake, have wanted to help," said co-worker Latrece Caldwell.

Caldwell said Scott grew up in Forest City and came to Charlotte about five years ago. She was saving money to attend Central Piedmont Community College and become a dental hygienist, Caldwell said.

Caldwell says Scott is an outgoing person who loves to sing and once went to Florida to audition for "American Idol."

Caldwell said Allen, the driver of the boat, works with Scott at Vida.

Officers said he had never driven a boat before renting a 24-foot motorboat and taking it to the "Lake Bash" gathering in a cove off Gainswood Drive in Mooresville on June 25. They say Allen apparently didn't notice several passengers jump off to swim while he was still trying to position his boat to "raft," or tie up, next to another boat. Scott became entangled in the propeller.

In addition to the amputation, Scott has severe lacerations to both legs and a punctured lung, Osborne said.

A state law passed in 2010 requires recreational boaters under 26 to take a safety course and pass a test, but Allen is 30 and did not have to take the course.

Boater charged with negligence in Lake Norman accident ...

The boater involved in an accident that injured a swimmer last week faces misdemeanor charges, and the victim has lost her arm because of the injuries, a lake official said Sunday.

Dennis Franklin Allen has been charged with negligent operation of a motorboat, endangering life and limb, and operation of a motorboat with insufficient life jackets, said Master Officer Kenneth Osborne Jr. of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Allen was driving a rental boat that ran over a passenger who had jumped out to swim in Lake Norman on June 25, authorities said.

The passenger, 25-year-old Deondra Scott, remained in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center on Sunday after surgery to amputate her right arm.

"It's a horrible accident. It's just that, an accident, but it could have been avoided," said Osborne.

Officers were out in force on Lake Norman during the hot and crowded Independence Day weekend - using boats, planes and a "Booze It and Lose It" bus - to avoid further tragedy, Osborne said. Boating officers who aren't normally assigned to the lake have been brought in.

Friends of Scott, a waitress at the Concord Mills Olive Garden and at the uptown EpiCentre's Vida restaurant, are raising money to help with the cost of what is expected to be a long recovery.

"A lot of people, even from the lake, have wanted to help," said co-worker Latrece Caldwell.

Caldwell said Scott grew up in Forest City and came to Charlotte about five years ago. She was saving money to attend Central Piedmont Community College and become a dental hygienist, Caldwell said.

Caldwell says Scott is an outgoing person who loves to sing and once went to Florida to audition for "American Idol."

Caldwell said Allen, the driver of the boat, works with Scott at Vida.

Officers said he had never driven a boat before renting a 24-foot motorboat and taking it to the "Lake Bash" gathering in a cove off Gainswood Drive in Mooresville on June 25. They say Allen apparently didn't notice several passengers jump off to swim while he was still trying to position his boat to "raft," or tie up, next to another boat. Scott became entangled in the propeller.

In addition to the amputation, Scott has severe lacerations to both legs and a punctured lung, Osborne said.

A state law passed in 2010 requires recreational boaters under 26 to take a safety course and pass a test, but Allen is 30 and did not have to take the course.

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