One injured in boat accident

By Miranda Mattheis | Dadeville Record

Published Saturday, July 12, 2008

A resident of Lagrange, Ga. has undergone facial surgery after a boating accident on Lake Martin early Friday morning.

Luther “Ken” Young, age 61, was enjoying time on his Bass Tracker aluminum fishing boat when the boat crashed under a dock in the Sandy Creek area of Lake Martin.

“He went in one side and out the other,” said Alabama Marine Police Officer Mark Fuller.

Fuller said both the boat and Young’s body came in contact with the dock.

A witness who was also in a boat on the lake assisted the victim back to his home on the lake. Young’s wife then took him to Russell Medical Center, where he was transported to Baptist South Hospital Montgomery.

“He had approximately 12 facial fractures and some lacerations,” Fuller said.

Fuller said Young was in stable condition before he went into surgery.

Fuller said he is unsure of what caused the accident.

“It’s definitely uncommon,” he said. “Apparently the driver or operator was distracted by something.”

Fuller said there is nothing that leads him to believe alcohol was involved with the accident.

“It’s my understanding it was a new boat to the victim,” Fuller said. “He may have been dealing with some features on that.”

Young, who was the operator and only passenger of the boat, was the only person injured. There was no one on the dock at the time of the accident.

“There were a couple of broken boards under the dock,” Fuller said.