A mechanical failure resulted in this boat crashing through a seawall and ejecting a 16-year-old passenger, resulting in serious injuries. (Photo provided by IDNR)
A 16-year-old New Paris teen is hospitalized in serious condition after a mechanical failure caused a boat she was in to crash through a seawall on Lake Wawasee.
According to Indiana Conservation Officers, the accident Sunday evening caused serious injuries to Riley Wagner, 16. The accident occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m. when a 2005 Nautique, being operated by Marshall Dillon, 18, of Goshen, suffered a broken linkage handle as Dillon was preparing to dock the boat.
Investigating Indiana Conservation Officer Jon Cook reports that as Dillon was preparing to dock his boat which Wagner was a passenger in, the mechanical failure occurred causing the boat to accelerate out of control and hit the seawall near 11554 Venetian Dr., sending it airborne onto land.
The boat came to rest on private property, but upon impacting the seawall, Wagner was ejected from the boat approximately 50 feet and she ended up in the roadway on Venetian Drive. Wagner was taken to a local hospital where she is being treated for her injuries.
There was significant damage to both the watercraft and the property where the watercraft landed.
Indiana Conservation Officers were assisted at the scene by Syracuse Police Department, Syracuse Fire Department and Syracuse EMS personnel.