Guilty Pleas Entered in Deadly Ethan Allen Boat Accident
By Thomas Hall
Published on March 29, 2007
The captain of the Ethan Allen and its operator, Shoreline Cruises, both pleaded guilty to failing to have enough crew members on board the vessel at the time of the accident.
According to state law, at least two crew members were required for the 47 passengers on board the vessel. Captain Richard Paris was the lone crew member on the Ethan Allen that day.
Paris and Shoreline Cruises were fined $250 each, the maximum allowed for the misdemeanor charges they faced. Paris also agreed to serve upwards of 200 community service hours in place of 15 days in jail.
A report on the accident filed by the National Transportation Safety Board says the agency believes the 40-foot tour boat capsized from a combination of being dangerously unstable due to passenger overload and being rocked by a wake from one or more passing vessels.
At least nine civil lawsuits are currently pending in the case.
Keyword Tags: