LAKE OF THE OZARKS — A boating crash on Lake of the Ozarks that injured seven people—three extensively—this summer has ended in a six-figure settlement, after an investigation determined both drivers bore some level of liability in the accident. The settlement was reported by Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 45-year-old Shad Poore, of Independence, Mo., was driving a 1995 Regal around the 66 Mile Marker, just after noon on Sunday, July 23. Poore was banking the boat hard to one side, according to a person familiar with the incident, and a PWC driven by 17-year-old Clayton Hertel slammed into the boat’s starboard side. The collision caused the boat to roll completely over, capsizing.
Poore reportedly later told investigators the PWC was “coming at me” and he was unable to avoid it. Hertel reportedly said he had been traveling around 60 mph on the PWC but slowed to around 35 or 40 mph as he was approaching the Regal.
The Patrol reported no injuries for Hertel, but seven people aboard the Regal sustained injuries. Despite one woman ending up underneath the boat that flipped—and others being thrown clear from it—no one was killed in the accident.
The Highway Patrol’s primary cause report placed some liability on both drivers, concluding Poore had been operating the Regal “in a careless manner” and Hertel had been operating at an excessive speed and had failed to take evasive action. Several of the injured people complained of ongoing pain and difficulty at work, and a total of $126,750 was paid by multiple insurance companies to the injured parties.
