(Montreal) No criminal charges will be brought against the pilot of a pleasure boat that collided with a river shuttle on June 27 near Charron Island on the St. Lawrence River.
The Sûreté du Québec confirmed to The Canadian Press that its investigation did not reveal any criminal element in what is now considered an accident.
Eight passengers of the Millennium Falconfrom the Navark company, including a child, were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
As for the pleasure boat, a “cigarette boat” type craft, five of its six passengers were injured, information that was not known until now. No information has been released as to the seriousness of the injuries suffered by these passengers.
The accident occurred while the Millennium Falcon was operating between Boucherville, on the South Shore of Montreal, and the Old Port. It was carrying 38 passengers and two crew members.
Very high speed
The pleasure craft was sailing at very high speed and the captain of the Millennium Falcon tried to avoid it, without success. The shuttle, which had been damaged on the port side above the line, has been back in service for some time. It should be noted that there is no speed limit in this section of the river.
The Sûreté du Québec subsequently located the boat and was looking into the possibility that it was a hit-and-run, as the pleasure boat continued on its way after the impact.
Operating a boat in a manner that endangers the safety of others, including operating at dangerously high speeds, as well as failing to stop and offer assistance in the event of a collision, are boating-related offences governed by the Criminal Code. However, it appears that the SQ has not been able to build conclusive evidence in this regard.
The pleasure boat suffered significant hull damage, as can be seen in the photo published on the website of the Transportation Safety Board (TSB), which is investigating this case.
It is the TSB investigation that will shed final light on this maritime incident. However, the duration of an investigation of this type is 450 days, which means that we will have to wait until the end of September next year before being able to learn about it.
The absence of criminal charges in this case would not prevent Navark from taking civil action. The company had not returned calls from The Canadian Press at the time of publication of this information.