Georgia man indicted after fishing tournament boat crash killed 3 in Alabama

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CULLMAN, Ala. (AP) — A Georgia man has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Alabama after an April boat wreck during a professional fishing tournament killed three people and injured two others.

Flint Andrew Davis, 22, was indicted Thursday in Cullman County on three counts of reckless manslaughter and two counts of first degree assault, all felonies. Davis, a Leesburg, Georgia, resident, was also indicted on three misdemeanors, including reckless operation of a vessel, failing to follow boating rules and boating without a boater safety certification.

Video shows Davis' boat speeding across Lewis Smith Lake, a popular recreational destination about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Birmingham, striking another boat, and launching into the air. Officials say Joey M. Broom, 58, of Snead, Alabama, was fatally injured in the collision. John K. Clark, 44, of Cullman, Alabama, and Jeffrey C. Little, 62, of Brandon, Mississippi, were thrown overboard and drowned, officials have said. Two other men were seriously injured, Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said at a Friday news conference.

The crash happened while Davis was fishing in the second day of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational, a bass fishing tournament put on by Major League Fishing. The others weren't part of the tournament, but taking part in a company-sponsored fishing trip.

Although investigators determined Davis' boat was traveling at 67 mph (108 kph) at the time of the crash, Alabama Marine Patrol Chief Matt Brooks said at the news conference that speed was not a factor in the crash. Instead, he said the wreck was caused by “operator inattention, distraction, not paying attention, failing to keep a proper lookout.”

Brooks said investigators found that “Mr. Davis clearly did not see” the other boat. He also said that Davis didn't have the required license to operate a motorized boat in either Georgia or Alabama.

Attorney Tommy Spina, representing Davis, said Davis expresses “his deepest remorse and contrition” to the families of those who died, as well as to those who were injured.

Spina said that Davis wasn't under the influence of alcohol or drugs and was not otherwise distracted.

“He simply did not see the other boat until the moment of impact,” Spina said. “There are many possible explanations for why this tragic collision occurred, but those matters will be fully addressed, in due course, in the courtroom and not in the press.”

Davis is free on bail after his arrest.

Multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed seeking civil damages. The accident has also sparked calls for legislation to more closely regulate boating and fishing tournaments in Alabama. Clark said grand jurors recommended that all fishing tournaments require proof-of-boating licenses and that fishing tournaments do more to promote safety.