Boat slams into gazebo in Berkeley: Operator charged with DWI
7:32 PM, Jun. 19, 2011 |
Written by Michelle Gladden andAmanda Oglesby | Staff Writers
Neighbor Angela Rattigan said she heard a loud swooosh sound at about 10:30 p.m.
“It's funny in a way because no one got hurt,” Rattigan said. “We're all in shock.”
Ann Schuld’s sister Louise Zuber said the couple was not home at the time of the accident.
“We were up the street and passed by moments after it happened,” Zuber said. “The boat smashed into the gazebo and landed in my sister's side yard. It's the most amazing thing ever.”
Zuber immediately called her sister’s cellphone to tell her of the accident, she said.
“It's a beautiful boat,” Zuber said. “It doesn't look like it's really damaged.”
State Police charged the boat’s driver, David M. McDermott — whose age and hometown were not immediately available — with driving while intoxicated, said Sgt. Julian Castellanos, spokesman for the State Police.
A View From The Helm (editorial):
Boating under the influence is a growing problem among the boating community but it seems that unless the authorities get serious about treating it on the same level as operating a motor vehicle under the influence and assess the same penalties it will continue to be an issue that puts not just the inebriated operator and his or her passengers in jeopardy but the others that are enjoying the same areas on the water or in the case of the story posted above, those that are on land.
It is time to take off the gloves, so to speak, and treat BWI or BUI the same as DWI or DUI and tie the operation of vessels on the water to the vessel operators driver's license.