Chatham County, NC – A lakeside afternoon turned deadly when a boater plowed into a group of swimmers on Saturday, killing a 10-year-old girl and severely injuring a woman — all while hauling tubers and carrying nearly 40 beer cans aboard, authorities said.
Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, is now facing multiple charges, including operating a motor vessel while under the influence causing death, and causing serious injury by impaired boating. The tragedy unfolded on the Shearon Harris Reservoir in Chatham County, just 100 feet from the shoreline.
According to court records, Kight was operating his boat and looking backward at tubers being towed behind him when the vessel slammed into three swimmers in the water. One of them, 10-year-old Brooklyn Mae Carroll, died from her injuries. Another swimmer, an adult woman, was struck by the boat’s propeller, which resulted in the amputation of her left leg above the knee, authorities said.
During a court appearance Monday, District Attorney Jeff Nieman revealed that law enforcement recovered 39 beer cans from the boat, along with at least six additional cans believed to have been on board at the time of the crash. Investigators also found evidence that individuals on the vessel were “shotgunning” beers — a method of quickly consuming alcohol by puncturing a can and chugging.
It remains unclear how many people were on Kight’s boat at the time, but officials confirmed several were aboard during the incident.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is leading the investigation. The crash has prompted renewed scrutiny over boating safety and alcohol use on public waterways.
Kight remains in custody as the investigation continues and more charges may follow depending on findings, officials said.
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Key Points
- Quinten Kight allegedly killed a 10-year-old girl and injured a woman while drunk boating
- Police found 39 beer cans in the vessel along with evidence of “shotgunning” alcohol
- The crash occurred on Shearon Harris Reservoir with Kight reportedly looking backward at the time