One year after a Charlotte woman was critically injured in a boating accident at the annual “Lake Bash” raft-up on Lake Norman, event organizers this year planned a much smaller, unpublicized event for Saturday, July 14. But members of the Marine Commission caught wind of the plans and have alerted authorities, Marine Commission Chair Ron Shoultz said Friday.

“These folks did not receive a rafting permit this year, nor did they apply for one,” he told DavidsonNews.net.

At the bash, boaters tie their boats together and create a large “raft.” A permit is required for “rafts” of more than 10 boats.

The Lake Bash had become an annual, highly-publicized event, and drew hundreds of boaters last June to a cove off Gainswood Drive in Mooresville. Deondra Scott, 26, was swimming when a boat backed over her and the propellers of the boat cut her severely.

The only publicity for the event this year was word-of-mouth, as organizers hoped to draw a smaller crowd of only experienced boaters, but a neighbor contacted Marine Commissioners.

RELATED LINK

July 14, 2012, Charlotte Observer: “Annual boat event draws scrutiny.”