Rockland County Boat Operator Charged With Vehicular Manslaughter

Updating a blog post from earlier this year, a grand jury indicted a man for a speedboat accident that killed a bride-to-be and her fiance’s best man on New York’s Hudson River on July 27, after tests showed he had consumed nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol.

According to Reuters, the driver of the speedboat, Jojo John, had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 when he crashed the vessel carrying six people from a wedding party into a barge on the Hudson River near the Tappan Zee Bridge.

[map id=”map22″ w=”375″ h=”375″ address=”Tappan Zee Bridge, Rockland County, NY” marker=”no” z=”14″]

The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office is handling the case. “Drinking and driving is a lethal mix, as it appears to have been in this incident, which left several families shattered,” District attorney Thomas Zugibe said in a news release.

John faces six counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide and two counts of operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs, along with eight other minor charges. He faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of the top indictment counts.

The crash caught national attention, as it killed bride-to-be Lindsey Stewart and best man Mark Lennon, and injured John and several other passengers who were about to attend a wedding.

I Need a Rockland County Personal Injury Attorney

Boating under the influence of alcohol is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Anyone who operates a watercraft while intoxicated puts his or herself at risk, as well as the passengers onboard and other boaters in the water. In 2011, there were 4,588 boating accidents nationally, involving 758 deaths, 3081 injuries, according to the US Coast Guard.

KGG lawyer Barry S. Kantrowitz assists personal injury victims and family members. Our attorneys also handle wrongful death cases. Contact us toll free at (866) 971-0927 to schedule a free initial consultation or complete the form on this page to let our skilled attorneys review your case.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Bergen County Injury Lawyers

KGG’s Corner: Boaters with a BAC above .10 are estimated to be 10 times more likely to die in an accident than non-drinkers.