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HL.Local wrote on Jul 27, 2010 3:33 PM:

" ok.. sooo .. say the "red boat boater" didnt know he hit a person. I know this has been all over the net, all over the news.. hell my friends even posted it on facebook and myspace.. i mean its pretty known about what happened! The "red boat boater" definetly had heard about this or known about this.. if you had a red boat.. were a white haired mustached man and had a blonde gf/wife.. and you were on the lake that day.. and happened to be around HL side around that time.. AND a boat of ppl tried to wave you down, wouldnt you know it and come forward and say i think it may of me that struck the man on Jul. 3rd. I think I would know if all these sounded familar to me!!! Sounds to me this guy has something to hide!!! All we can do is let god take over!! If he doesnt come forward karma will get him 20x's more!! Our condolences go out to the Norris Family from everyone here at HL Resort!
P>S High 5's to "Off duty Fire" for all the support locally!!! "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 15, 2010 11:22 AM:

" Triple J - It really isn't that hard to figure out if you have the information which was provided to the police. Unfortunately the article doesn't tell the whole story. If this guy comes forward on his own, then we will at least know he has feel that perhaps it was an accident which was not necessarily his fault. If he never comes forward or must be tracked down by law enforcement., I am sorry to say that the odds are he knew what he did and chose to evade the consequences.

We will see, only time will tell. "




Triple J wrote on Jul 15, 2010 11:22 AM:

" One MAJOR reason to "flee" the scene of an accident is IF YOU DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT!!!!!! Imagine that!!!! It amazes me how this possibility has been completely ruled out by people who don't really have a CLUE what happened that day. Let's hang this man based on a vague article that was printed in the paper. Let's not give him his day in court. Let's not presume he's innocent until PROVEN guilty. Nah, let's just hang him. "




Triple J wrote on Jul 15, 2010 11:18 AM:

" CASE CLOSED! Reallity check has cracked the case just by reading the vague information in this article! Way to go Sherlock! Haha, you watch too much CSI :-0 To the driver of the boat who hit the man, I hope you receive a FAIR trial. Obviously from the comments posted here you can see society is sooooo quick to hang a man without any solid evidence. They just want to declare a man guilty to make themselves feel better and heal from the incident. There is no jury here. They just want to hang you. I have faith in my fellow man and will NOT be so quick to judge you based on gossip, 3rd party knowledge or inexperienced crime scene investigator wannabes. "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 15, 2010 6:52 AM:

" continued.....

By the way, almost always when a driver leaves the scene of an accident it is because they know they have messed up and don't want to get caught. There is really no other reason to flee. And yes, unfortunately, more times than not a big reason for them leaving is because they have been drinking.

Think about what you say and how it may be interpreted as an excuse to an individuals actions. Some of you on this forum just like to move the blame to the police or the city or to anything else that may cause image problems for Havasu.

The family of Eric deserves nothing less than the guy than hit Eric to come forward and tell his story. "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 15, 2010 6:50 AM:

" Your hull slapping on water as opposed to hitting an object feel completer different. Yes, of course a hard slap can hurt your lower back, but a thump on your hull should absolutely catch your attention.

My biggest problem with Triple J and LHCwasteland is that your comments help the driver of the red boat justify in his own mind that he has no responsibility in this accident and has no reason to come forward. I am sure if your family member or friend was on that tube, your comments would be different.

It is sad that so many people so easily excuse the actions of others based on flimsy reasoning because this is exactly what has caused the general abandonment of personal responsibility in our society.

No matter if the driver of the red boat knew he hit the victim or not, his vessel hit and killed somebody. Therefore he is responsible and must come forward and discuss the situation with the authorities.

Nobody is saying he intentionally hit Eric, as that would be murder. What is obvious is that this was an accident. Exactly how avoidable the accident was is up to others to decide. However, by leaving the scene of accident, the driver of the red boat has now put himself in a very bad situation. These are his actions alone and he must be held accountable for them. "




Triple J wrote on Jul 15, 2010 4:57 AM:

" Hahahaha, I guess they should just hire "Reality Check" to investigate since this person seems to have EVERYTHING figured out!! Case closed, everything is clearly explained! I sure hope you don't ever serve jury duty! :-0 "




LHCwasteland wrote on Jul 14, 2010 9:36 PM:

" Wow Reality Check, what size of fishing boat do you have to make that call? I know when I'm driving fast with other boats creating big wakes, we catch air and slam pretty hard. Hard enough to hurt your lower back at times. I don't know about you but things get pretty blurry without booze. People often wave hello or wave their hands so that you see them and I've stopped as well to find out it was just hot chicks waving to me. I hate when that happens. "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 14, 2010 5:47 PM:

" Triple J - Let's think about this logically (which apparently you have a hard time doing).

1) If the victim was hit by the propeller and not the hull, then the driver made a very wild and abrupt turn right next to the victim. This implies he saw him!

2) It doesn't matter what speed he was traveling before he hit the victim. Once he stopped and realized that there was an accident he LEFT the scene at a high rate of speed. This implies he knew something had happened and did not want to be around for the consequences.

3) Yes there are hundreds of boats with dinged propellers, but that doesn't mean the operator of the boat didn't know when the ding occurred. You feel it unless you are completely out of it. This implies he knew he hit something or he was drunk and should not have been driving in the first place!

4) Seaweed wrapped around the prop will always severely hinder the performance of the vessel. With 20 lbs of seaweed the boat would be vibrating badly and would never even get on plane. So don't try to make false statements to prove your insane view on this subject.

5) Trying to place any blame on the flag man the boat operator or anybody except the man in the red boat is completely ridicules and seems to be the tactic of a second rate defense lawyer. Perhaps you missed you calling.

6) When travelling at 35 miles per hour and toeing a tube at the end of a 75' line, you will be about 1/8 of a mile away from the fallen rider in less 10 seconds. Which is about how long it takes to get notified of a down rider, verify it is safe to turn the boat and start the path pack to retrieve the rider. So don't act like being your estimated 1/4 mile away is some level of proof that fault lies with the towing boat.

Why are you so adamant about the perceived innocence of the guy in the red boat? The facts just don't support your views. "




Triple J wrote on Jul 14, 2010 2:24 PM:

" Reality Check, I haven't seen any information that CONFIRMS the victim was struck by the hull of the boat. Lacerations from the propeller is reported as causing the injury. I've seen people with 20lbs of seaweed wrapped up in their propeller who had no idea. I've seen people with chipped/broken propeller who had no idea. You can say he "looked at the scene and took off at a high rate of speed", but wasn't he travelling at a high rate of speed BEFORE the accident? Aren't most people on the lake travelling at a high rate of speed also? How do you KNOW he saw a badly injured man in the water? From what I've read the people who were towing the victim didn't even know for quite some time and there was still one person on the tube they were on. Let's face it, there is a possibility that he didn't know. The driver of the tow boat, the flagger, and everybody in that boat share some of the blame for this ACCIDENT. "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 14, 2010 12:03 PM:

" Triple J - I understand you wanting to think that this all was a very unfortunate accident and that the driver of the boat had no idea that he hit anything. However, the facts simply do not justify this opinion.

1) Anybody with any boating experience will tell you that when something hits your hull you feel it. Especially something as large as a human body. It doesn't matter what speed you are going or how rough the water is.

2) The driver slowed down, looked at the scene and left the scene at a high rate of speed. I know this from information provided by a SB Sheriff.

3) With an obvious accident having occurred, if this person had even the slightest level of human decency, he would completely stopped and offered assistance even if he had no idea he was the cause of the accident.

I have been boating on Lake Havasu for over 40 years. I have seen and helped people in virtually every situation imaginable. I have towed people back to launch ramps hundreds of times even though it take hours out of our time on the lake. This is what responsible boating is all about.

The guy and girl in the red boat are both despicable and deserve to be punished to the absolute fullest extent possible. He knew what he did and decided to flee instead of help. "




Triple J wrote on Jul 13, 2010 2:22 PM:

" ttracy, your comment was unnecessary and made you look like an uneducated hater. Sorry if you weren't aware of this. If you can't see how it would be possible to ACCIDENTALLY run someone over in the middle of a choppy, crowded lake and not know it....I don't have anything more to say to you because you're obviously not competent enough to understand. It happens all the time, not just in Havasu and I'm pretty sure nobody is out there intentionally trying to run people over and get away with it. "




ttracy wrote on Jul 12, 2010 2:02 PM:

" No Triple J, not a hater, Apparently you have some issues with other people that have opinions though. I do think that a person bobbing up and down in the water WOULD BE LITTLE HARD TO MISS, don't ya think. Unless you were riding the first boats butt. And yes we have hit things with our boat and noticed. Again my prayers go out to the family and hopefully accident or no accident this family gets what it deserves, some answers. "




cal/hav wrote on Jul 12, 2010 1:25 PM:

" " If you read the story and it's accurate then the most impelling part that caught me is ..The suspect boat slowed after being hailed by the victim’s boat, then fled the scene of the accident. "
I have had my attention drawn by other boats many times just to find out that it wasn't my boat they were hailing, or to assure I saw their Skier or person in the water. I have slowed wave my hand acknowledged a move on. The story states there were 2 people on the Inflatable. It is very possible the other boater saw the other person on the inflatable and moved on. Never realizing they hit someone.
I have had 2 inner tubers whipped onto the path of my boat and had to take evasive measures. Never figured why you would want to intentionally whip people of those things anyway, but you'll see it every weekend "




LHCwasteland wrote on Jul 11, 2010 9:12 PM:

" I agree with Triple J. The part that sucks is, what if the driver of the red boat only had two beers. The law states he's drunk. Do you think he wants to face man slaughter for two beers? What happened to the person holding the flag? Were they too drunk to notice one of their people on the tow was down.? Someone said they didn't know until an eighth of a mile that the person fell off. So who's fault is it ? I think they both share the blame. I'm responsible for every person in my boat no matter what. I can be sued by my own friends if they want to. What does the flag person have to say? They were the one's in charge of watching the people in the water. The problem is , too many times the person chose to hold the flag knows the least amount about boating and is the drunkest or youngest by law on the boat while everyone plays the music loud and parties. Let's face it, no one is perfect or expects something like this to happen. Just think, you work very hard for your boat and in a split second no matter who's fault, now you're a criminal, a killer that needs to do time. In all dangerous sports, someone will die, that's a fact. By the way, how long did it take for the cops to get there? That could have been a matter of life and death. Should we blame them for over saturating the channel and not being where they should be, patrolling the lake? Be in charge of your boat and the people in it. "




Off Duty Fire wrote on Jul 11, 2010 11:15 AM:

" Dear J540, just to let you know Havasu Landing does have a San Bernardino County Fire Station equipped with 2 ambulances and a fire rescue boat. Yes it is a BLS (basic life suppprt) station but all of us that work here give the best care possible within state protocols. Yes we dispatch Helicopters and we also conduct mutual aide with Lake Havasu Fire who are Paramedic staffed stations. Not to metion we can get someone accross the lake and in Paramedic care with River Medical in less that 10 minutes. Given the unfortunate situation of this incedent the people on the towing boat and the LA City off duty Paramedic were from the Landing as well. From all of us here at the Landing our hearts and deepest sympathy goes to the family and close friends who lost a special part of their lives that day. "




Riverman wrote on Jul 11, 2010 8:33 AM:

" Why didn't the police notify every place where a boat can be trailered to be on the look out for any boat that matched that description. VERY POOR POLICE WORK !! "




higher life form wrote on Jul 10, 2010 7:54 AM:

" If you read the story and it's accurate then the most impelling part that caught me is ..The suspect boat slowed after being hailed by the victim’s boat, then fled the scene of the accident. This tells me he knew something was wrong and then made a bad decision. None of us were there so we all make a judgement of facts that are presented.......I would have stopped. Wouldn't you? "




Triple J wrote on Jul 9, 2010 5:43 PM:

" ttracy, I realize you're mad at the world and you just want to *think* that everybody out there is bad and against you, but ACCIDENTS do happen and you obviously weren't there and you obviously have NO IDEA if the guy knew he ran a person over. Making lame accusations just because you want to hate someone is ridiculous. Have you ever ran someone over in your boat? Do you know what it would feel like? How do you know you would instantly know if you ran a human being over in the water? How can you be so sure? Yeah, that's what I thought. A boat travelling ~40mph+ in choppy water is usually a ROUGH ride and you're going to be slamming waves while your boat bobs up and down. It's not IMPOSSIBLE to not know you hit someone. A prop spinning full throttle won't be slowed down much by human skin. It doesn't take much. I guess it's ok for YOU to make lame comments, but nobody else can have a logical opinion that differs from yours, huh? "




j540 wrote on Jul 8, 2010 5:03 PM:

" Has anyone posted this on boating web sites. And was the red boat going up or down river (North/South). There is a pic of him somewhere at one of the launch ramps video camera's or Intersection cam, somewhere, He had to get his boat off somewhere. And if you ever have an Emergency Never goto Havasu landing all help will come from clear across the lake, By that time you could be at the Hospital. And a Med-i-vac wont be dispatched until LEO or EMT requests it. "




bobo wrote on Jul 8, 2010 1:51 PM:

" ***justcuz***???Did you report all you know to the Sherrif??? "




ttracy wrote on Jul 8, 2010 1:17 PM:

" Triple J, lets try your theory. Meet me at the lake, you jump in the water and I'll run you over. What a lame comment, Huh. Sounded just like yours. Read the article a little more carefully. The propeller got this guy, therefore unless you were drunk/stoned out of your mind, you'd feel and here the difference in your boat. "




justcuz wrote on Jul 7, 2010 6:23 PM:

" A loss in anyone's family is awful... prayers definalty go out to the family, so sorry for your loss. As a boater that has been on the water for many years I absolulty do not believe the driver of the other boat has a clue. For 1, that time of day, the glare on the water is unreal, for 2 it took about an 8th of a mile for the observer & 4 others on the boat even realized he fell off the tube, for 3 on a 21ft boat as rough as the water was you would never feel a thing. I'm so sorry for the family, but the driver of the other boat should not be so bashed until he even knows what happened. "




valuesforless wrote on Jul 7, 2010 5:11 PM:

" Is there a phone number that we can call to donate items for the yard sale that you are setting up? "




no freeloaders wrote on Jul 7, 2010 5:02 PM:

" Jungle Jim, I'm Linda's sister. Just heard about your tragedy and am so sorry. If you need anything call Linda and she will contact me. I will try to make it to the funeral Saturday. "




BIG SHAWN wrote on Jul 7, 2010 7:31 AM:

" Eric was a great friend and wonderful person all around. Always smiling and never a bad word to say about anyone. Here is the website for donations. www.ericoctopusnorris.com "




kittynala wrote on Jul 6, 2010 8:44 PM:

" My condolences go out to the family. "




doglover wrote on Jul 6, 2010 6:42 PM:

" He'd probably been drinking and knew that if he stopped he'd get busted and charged with manslaughter. If you haven't had anything to drink it's an accident, if you have it's manslaughter. I personally don't think any booze, beer or otherwise, should be allowed on boats. We can't have open containers in cars, why can we in boats? You don't have to have beer on the lake to have fun. "




havasu68 wrote on Jul 6, 2010 6:26 PM:

" FIRST OF ALL, MY PRAYERS ARE WITH THE YOUNG MAN'S FAMILY. WE ALL NEED TO NOT FORGET THE RESPONSIBLITY THAT WE ALL HAVE WHEN WE ARE IN COMMAND OF A VESSEL. THIS "RED BOAT" NEEDS TO COME FORWARD AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT. AFTER WHAT I SEEN IN LH THIS LAST WEEKEND, MY FAMILY WILL NEVER GO BACK ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND. I WAS ON WATER @ 5:30 ON SAT AND HAD 6 SMALL KIDS IN THE FRONT OF MY OPEN BOW, THAT IS VERY SCARY. "




jeynon wrote on Jul 6, 2010 5:14 PM:

" Is there an account set up for the family members for people to donate? "




jeynon wrote on Jul 6, 2010 5:13 PM:

" God bless the family members of this terrible accident. I live here and this is not how people act here! This person needs to step up and take responsibility for his actions.

You are in our prayers!! "




Triple J wrote on Jul 6, 2010 4:36 PM:

" I don't see how anybody could say he knew he hit someone. Honestly, it's not like he hit him on purpose so the only way for him to know he hit someone is for someone to say "YOU HIT SOMEONE". Chances are it was a loud boat and he was moving over 40mph so the chances of him turning around and actually hearing ANYTHING anybody said are slim to none. Even if he turned around and saw someone wave to him, that doesn't mean he knew he hit someone. It was obviously an accident so let's not hang this man before the trial. "




bobo wrote on Jul 5, 2010 1:25 PM:

" This may not offer any solace, but the guy knows he hit and ran over the young man. Then he read in the paper that he died, and he’s probably reading this paper and these blogs because it is eating him up inside what he did and it will for the rest of his life. Had he stopped and offered aid, and claimed it was an accident, like it was, he could eventually go back to a semi normal existence. But now he has condemned his soul to a miserable and cowardly life. "




higher life form wrote on Jul 5, 2010 9:51 AM:

" Tragic!! I hate to hear about death on the water, The driver of the boat was an idiot. Drunk or inexperienced or both and I've seen it many times out here. I'm all for licence on the water with a safety program to boot. He'll get caught eventually. Prayers to the family and witnesses. "




Rosie wrote on Jul 5, 2010 4:30 AM:

" Prayers are with this young man and his family. Such a horrible tragedy. I am wondering if this "heavy set man and blonde woman" even knew that thet ran over someone. Especially if alcohol was involved. I just can't imagine anyone not stopping to help this poor man!!! Very sad! "




water dog wrote on Jul 4, 2010 2:07 PM:

" First of all may God bless the innocent victim and his family.
As for the coward that ran, you know who you are, and your passenger is guilty by association due to your multiple poor decisions. You will get caught. Think of all the lives you have ruined and are going to ruin when they catch you. As for your passenger if she is reading this, ask yourself if your freedom that you are rapidly losing is worth this scum bag you are aiding and abetting?
How do some people sleep at night. "




Reality Check wrote on Jul 4, 2010 1:24 PM:

" Find this disgusting excuse for a human as soon as possible and put him away for EVER. I am feed up with inconsiderate boaters who have no concept of the rules of the water way and only care about getting to where they want to be.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife was skiing and some jerk decided they wanted to follow our wake not 50 feet behind my wife. As I turned he would follow with no understanding that if something were to happen and my wife fell, the chances of her being hit were very high.

I think it is time to institute a special license for any watercraft operator. Yes even personal watercraft. No license, no ability to launch. No license when requested by any agency with authority on the lake, then the boat is impounded and the operator receives a large fine.

People need to understand the lethal nature of the watercraft they operate. Without such an understanding we will continue to have unnecessary accidents that unfortunately usually result in serious injuries or death. "




capturehim wrote on Jul 4, 2010 10:16 AM:

" Please help capture this hit and run suspect. He ruined the lives of several families- the victim's and those who witnessed this tragedy.Contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office or Lake Havasu City Police with ANY information you might have. "




mras50 wrote on Jul 4, 2010 9:17 AM:

" The young man killed by the hit and run boat driver leaves behind a 7 year-old son. If you know the boat or driver, I urge you to call police. Do the right thing. "




captain caous wrote on Jul 4, 2010 9:05 AM:

" It seems to be the trend because my son was hit on his bike and nearly killed by a driver who never stopped last week in CA. My idea is that anyone reading this who has been to the river and has photos and videos, please look for this boat in your pictures and maybe we can get a CF number to catch this guy. I know that I will be looking. "

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