Boater who seriously injured man in Thurston Co. thought he hit log, records say
A 51-year-old man accused of assault while operating a boat initially thought he had run over a log in the water near Boston Harbor Marina Sunday evening, according to Thurston County Superior Court records.
The man appeared in court on Monday and a judge found probable cause for the crime of assault by watercraft. He was released without bail, with conditions such as that he not operate a boat or other marine vessel or have contact with the victim.
Jail records show he currently is not in custody. The man’s arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Court records provide the following narrative of what happened:
About 7:45 p.m. Sunday, Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Boston Harbor Marina in response to a water rescue.
Once there, they learned that the suspect’s 25-foot boat had crashed into a 10-foot boat occupied by five people. The smaller boat had stalled in the water and those aboard were trying to restart the motor.
It was a hectic scene, according to the records.
Numerous individuals offered witness statements, fire personnel were checking on two people while more fire personnel were working with a subject on a backboard, the records read.
A deputy interviewed one of the men aboard the smaller boat.
“He stated he was attempting to get the engine going again when he noticed the causing boat coming directly towards them at a high rate,” the court records read. “(He) and his friends attempted to yell for the boat to stop. (He) reported the boat did not stop and impacted their boat head on.”
All five jumped into the water and were able to stay with the boat and not get hit, although one of them was seriously hurt. The motor, too, was knocked off the smaller boat.
The injured man was first taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and then on to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the court records show.
Among his injuries: a broken elbow, scapula (shoulder blade), femur and large lacerations to his back, according to the court records. A Go Fund Me has been started to help the man.
The suspect also was interviewed. He and others on the 25-foot boat had pulled into the Boston Harbor Marina area to pick up a woman from the beach. Four people were in the nose of the boat. A total of seven were on board, according to the court records.
The 51-year-old man said he was at the controls of the boat, looking over his windshield and estimated his speed at 15 mph as they left the marina area. He added that he was traveling in the direction of the setting sun and had limited visibility.
“He stated that his boat had not been up on plane nor down flat in the water,” the records read. “The boat was in a nose-high position, close to plane speed but not quite.”
He exited the marina area and they struck something, according to the court records.
“Initially, he thought it was a log, but then realized it was another boat and returned to the scene,” the records read.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 2:05 PM.
