A report on a fatal boating accident on Lake Norfork June 20 cites “operator inattention” as the primary cause.
The operator of the pontoon boat, 74-year-old Robert Jay “Bob” Louck, who lists an address along Cranfield Road, died of his injuries.
According to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission investigators, a GPS on the damaged craft was still operating when they arrived on the scene.
By checking the GPS, investigators were able to determine the path the 25-foot pontoon boat took on the trip that ended with the accident.
The GPS showed the boat make a wide left turn from west to south on the lake and then run directly into rocks. The site was in the Cranfield Marina area.
Investigators went on the lake and found evidence at the impact point – including aluminum shavings and an aluminum rivet.
According to the report, the speedometer on the boat was “locked in” at 52-miles-per-hour.
There was significant damage to the front, side and interior of the pontoon boat.
After the collision with the bluff, Louck returned to the marina. He was reported to have struck another boat while docking.
Investigators reviewed video taken by surveillance cameras at Cranfield marina. According to an incident report from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office completed at the time of the accident, Louck was seen coming and going from the marina several times during the day.
Investigators were concerned when on one trip out of the marina, a male passenger was in the boat with Louck. The passenger was not in the boat when it returned the final time.
Those on the scene thought the person might have been thrown into the water if there had been a collision with another craft or some other object. A search was launched by boat and with the Sheriff Office’s helicopter. The passenger was eventually identified and found safe. He had been dropped off at another location, according to a joint press release issued by some of the agencies responding to the accident.
On its final trip, Louck’s boat was picked up on the marina’s surveillance cameras actually hitting the rock bluff and then making its way back to the dock.
Investigators say the video tapes clearly showed the damage resulting from the collision with the rocks. The report says Louck appeared “disoriented.”
According to the report, the port side pontoon had been severely crushed, a side chair and cabinet that were bolted down had been torn loose and half of the steering wheel had been bent completely out of shape.
The report estimated damage to Louck’s boat at $18,000 and $4,000 to a docked 28-foot Lowe pontoon boat hit when Louck returned to the marina. The report says the second boat was owned by a Mountain Home couple.
People seeing Louck come into the marina with his damaged boat and then hitting a boat in the process began calling for help.
Louck was reported to have a “faint pulse” when first responders got to him, but “crashed” and CPR was begun while he was still on his boat. It continued until an ambulance from Baxter Health arrived.
Louck was taken to the ambulance where he was found to be deceased and the Baxter County Coroner’s Office was notified.
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