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Two large boats collide and two BWI's issued and Ameren UE has proposed to eliminate the white foam by 12/1/2008.

Here is the collision story::

Collision

Boats crash in the dark; two BWIs issued

By Joyce L. Miller

LAKE OF THE OZARKS - A 58-foot SeaRay ripped the flying bridge off a 36-foot Trojan when the two boats collided nearly head-on at the 4-mile marker Wednesday evening.

The drivers of both boats were arrested on drunken boating charges by the Missouri Water Patrol.

All seven people on board the Trojan, including several children, were thrown into the water. The driver of the Trojan escaped without injury. Six passengers were taken to Lake Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries after being pulled out of the lake by the Water Patrol.

A Water Patrol spokesman said John Vanhoogstraat of Wildwood, Mo., who was driving the SeaRay, was arrested as was William Conn, of Eldon, who was piloting the Trojan. The owner of the Trojan is listed on the accident report as Yacht Haven Marina. Vanhoogstraat is listed as the owner of the SeaRay.

The Water Patrol said the SeaRay went up and over the Trojan. Vanhoogstraat told officers he was coming out of a cove at about 9:30 p.m. and making a left turn into the channel when he saw the lights on the Trojan. It appears that both boats tried to make a last-minute maneuver to avoid a collision.

The Water Patrol said the preliminary investigation indicated both boats were within the 30 mph night speed limit.

The accident was reported by witnesses who said they didn't see the crash but heard the two boats smash into each other and heard screaming.

A Camden County deputy arrived on the scene first and said he couldn't get to the wreck without a boat and didn't have a light that would illuminate that far from shore. He said he could hear victims in the water calling for help.

The Water Patrol said the Trojan was a total loss. The SeaRay suffered extensive cosmetic damage and was released to the owner Thursday.

A lot of craziness on that lake. That's got to be something else, having a 50' SR and a Trojan collide.

i'm glad no one, especially the children were seriously injured. at least Johnnie V. can cruise around on his Rough Rider for the rest of the summer. sounds like a bad deal for both parties involved.

jbk

If you get a BWI do you lose boating privledges?

YES!

JV will not lose his boating privileges....believe me......

Maybe now the water patrol will watch the Cruisers a little closer!! and take some of the heat off the performance boats!!

JBK, Who is Johnnie V. ?? Sounds like you know him?? Is he the guy that went to the Miami Show and ordered a new huge Sea Ray and a Big Cigarette and then bought a used cigarette and a used searay to have until they were built??

i have never seen whether or not the lake is considered a narrow channel, giving the right away to those travelling along the channel.

A bwi in Missouri is a misdemenor and a $500.00 fine, no loss of boating privlegdes.

WOW! No wonder there seems to be a problem. Add a 1 year revocation of boat privledges for a first offense and now your are starting to have some deterence.

But with that penality there is no way.

A 58 Foot Sea Ray?
 

That is a huge cruiser, must weigh 35,000 lbs at least!

I know LOTO is big but I cannot imagine having something that big on a land locked lake.

But the real issue is ALCOHOL and piloting a boat DO NOT MIX.

Wannabe

38,500 dry so probably 40 plus for a 50, guess it is a good thing that they were both pretty large boats or it would have been much much worse. A 56 is 50,000

The 58 is not even the biggest boat at LOTO. I know there is at least one 65+ Carver, I agree though, why do you need something that big on a lake.

any new info on this?

I WENT BY JOHNNIE V'S DOCK ON SAT. AND I DID NOT SEE THE SEA RAY SO IT HAS PROBABLY ALREADY BEEN YANKED OUT OF THE WATER OR IT IS SITTING AT A MARINA SOMEWHERE..???

Tbone- the 580 was at his dock on sunday. i took a look at it. it really wasn't that bad. the bow railing, anchor, rubrail were damaged. there was also a big scuff from just above the water line up to the rubrail on the very front, starboard side. i expected to see a lot more damage considering that the other boat was a total loss.

jbk

The drivers of both boats were arrested on drunken boating charges by the Missouri Water Patrol.

I think you can throw who had the right away out the window.

Anyone heard any details on this (from MO WP website)


NEWS RELEASE ID : 030089 BACK
Incident Type : Report Date : Incident Date :
FALLING OVERBOARD
07/21/2003 07/21/2003
Waterway : District : Report Time : Incident Time :
LAKE OF THE OZARKS 2 6:05:00 AM 12:20:00 AM
Location : Town : County :
18 MM OSAGE BEACH, MO CAMDEN
Summary :
THE BOAT WAS IDLING AWAY FROM THE SALTY DOG. IT HAD BEEN IDLING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES WHEN THEY GOT TO THE 18 MM. THE VICTIM, TIMOTHY KOESTER, WHO WAS SITTING IN THE BACK OF BOAT, STOOD UP AND JUMPED OUT OF THE BOAT. THE PASSENGERS HEARD HIM, THEY PUT THE BOAT IN REVERSE. THREE PASSENGERS JUMPED INTO THE LAKE TO LOOK FOR HIM BUT WERE UNALBE TO LOCATE KOESTER. SOME NEARBY RESIDENTS ALSO WENT TO ASSIST AND CALLED 911. RECOVERY OPERATIONS ARE STILL UNDERWAY.

When you get a BWI at LOTO if there is no one sober who can operate your boat it is impounded. I believe the impound can be more expensive then the $500.00 BWI fine. I think it has to do with size of boat, how far it travels to impound and how long it is there.

I would imagine the 58 was in impound is why it was MIA for a while.

This is not the voice of expierience talking but I know a few who have been nailed.

is Johnny V in the auto biz here in St Louis?
later

FYI, from the LSL:

Man jumps off boat, presumed drowned

Incident occurs at 18-mile marker

By Joyce L. Miller

LAKE OF THE OZARKS - A 24-year-old Illinois man is missing and presumed drowned after jumping off the back of a boat near the 18-mile marker.

The Missouri Water Patrol is dragging a portion of the lake in search of Timothy Koester of Elizabeth, Ill.

Koester was last seen as he jumped off the back of a 20-foot SeaRay shortly after midnight Monday. The Water Patrol says it appears that Koester drowned in about 90 feet of water.

According to the preliminary investigation, the boat had left a waterfront establishment with Koester, the driver and five other passengers on board. The occupants of the boat said the boat was idling when Koester stood up and jumped overboard.

Although passengers didn't see Koester jump, they told officers they heard him hit the water and reversed the boat to go back and pick him up. When they couldn't find him, several passengers jumped in and tried to locate him. People on shore who heard what was happening reported the incident and joined in the search.

There was no indication that Koester hit the prop of the boat when he jumped overboard, the patrol said.

Drunken driving charges are pending against the driver of the boat, who was listed as a 20-year-old from Stockton, Ill.

Koester is the fifth boating-related fatality on Lake of the Ozarks this year. There have also been two drowning incidents investigated: one in Party Cove at the 4-mile marker on Grand Glaize Arm, the second nearly two weeks ago on Lake of the Ozarks near Truman Dam.