Man sentenced in boat crash that killed Massachusetts boy

A little less than two years ago, a father and his young son were enjoying a day in a kayak, fishing on a Massachusetts lake in the city of Huntington. During their outing, an allegedly reckless speedboat driver crashed into their kayak, killing the boy and leaving only tragic memories for the father. The boy was 10 years old.

Recently, some sense of justice has been brought in the fatal accident as the speedboat driver was found guilty for his involvement in the crash. The Westfield, Massachusetts man was convicted by a Hampshire Superior Court jury of negligent homicide and misleading a police officer. According to a news report, he was sentenced to five years in prison. The jury cleared the man of a handful of other charges, including manslaughter.

This father and son outing turned tragic by the negligent and arguably reckless conduct of the boat operator. It was reported that prosecutors said the man had been drinking beer and smoking marijuana the day of the accident.

Any wrongful death is tragic and some truly make no sense whatsoever. Instead of idyllic memories of shared time with his young boy, the father and family are left with images of a heinous and avoidable boating accident. It is not known if the family will turn to the Massachusetts court system to seek further relief for the tragedy which befell them. What is known is that their lives were inalterably changed due to the arguably self-indulgent and seemingly heartless decisions of another individual.

Source: Boston.com, “Mass. gets 5 years in fatal boat crash,” June 22, 2012