The deadly accident happened around 5:32 p.m. on July 25 on the Colorado River just south of the Needles Bridge.
Needles, CA – A man was killed Friday evening in a boating accident in Needles, according to the authorities.
The deadly accident happened around 5:32 p.m. on July 25 on the Colorado River just south of the Needles Bridge.
Authorities said 43-year-old Bruce A. Southworth of Yucaipa was operating a 22-foot Cheetah deck boat downriver when he struck an 18-foot Sanger vessel that was adrift.
Weston R. Stewart, 38, of La Verne, was aboard the Sanger vessel and was taken to Colorado River Medical Center, where he later died.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to support Stewart's family and help cover memorial expenses.
Southworth, an off-duty sergeant with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, was arrested and booked on suspicion of HN655(F) – Negligent Use of a Watercraft While Intoxicated; Causing Injury.
He posted bail and was released from custody Saturday morning. Southworth has been with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department since 2010 and is currently assigned to the Civil Liabilities Division. He was put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
The authorities are investigating the accident.