Shoreline man could face vessel hit-and-run charge related to Labor Day boat crash in Edmonds

The boat that was struck sits at the Edmonds Marina after being towed there following the collision.
Photo by Brent Tugby originally published in MyEdmondsNews.com

From MyEdmondsNews.com

A 48-year-old Shoreline man faces a possible charge of felony hit-and-run with a vessel after he allegedly left the scene of a two-boat collision off the Edmonds waterfront Labor Day evening.

Edmonds police spokesman Sgt. Josh McClure said Thursday that police will be referring charges in the case to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors will make the decision as to whether to charge the man in connection with the incident, which occurred just after 8:30pm Monday, September 2, 2019.

Under state law, leaving the scene of a vessel collision is a Class C felony. The man has not been arrested nor is he in custody, McClure said. There were no signs of alcohol or drug impairment at the time of the incident. Causing factors for the crash “appear to be speed and inattention,” he added.

Authorities allege the Shoreline man was behind the wheel of a 22-foot power boat when it struck a 28-foot power boat near the Edmonds waterfront Sept. 2. The collision left the larger vessel disabled, and a South County Fire crew was dispatched via Marine 16 to rescue two people on the boat, which was “dead in the water,” according to South County Fire spokeswoman Leslie Hynes.

One of the two people rescued was taken to Swedish Edmonds Hospital for evaluation of a head injury, McClure said.

State law requires that a boat vessel operator involved in a collision render assistance to those on board. But the boat operator did not stop and instead “fled at a high rate of speed” to the Port of Edmonds Marina, where he docked his boat, which displayed front-end damage, McClure said.

The man told police he didn’t stop because “he was scared,” McClure added.

The boat operator “made no effort to call 911 himself after he was knowingly involved in the collision. He could have reasonably stopped to render aid, which he did not do, or alert port security even after he docked,” which the man also didn’t do, McClure added.

Authorities said it was unclear how far off shore the collision occurred, but it was near the lane of travel for the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route. The Washington State Ferries’ MV Puyallup stopped nearby and launched a rescue boat in case it was needed, and the Coast Guard also responded, Hynes said.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Edmonds PD tip line at 425-771-0212 or email.