A tragic accident on a North Carolina lake has led to the death of a 10-year-old girl and the amputation of a woman’s leg, with authorities revealing that the boater involved had dozens of beer cans in his vessel at the time of the crash.
Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, is facing multiple charges, including operating a motor vessel under the influence and causing serious injury while impaired.
The Incident and Charges
The accident occurred Saturday afternoon on the Shearon Harris Reservoir in Chatham County, where Kight was operating his boat when it struck three swimmers approximately 100 feet off the shore.
Among the victims was 10-year-old Brooklyn Mae Carroll, who tragically lost her life. Another woman was severely injured, with the boat’s propeller causing the amputation of her left leg above the knee.
Kight, who was reportedly looking behind him at the tubers he was towing, failed to notice the swimmers ahead of him. Authorities later found 39 beer cans in the boat, along with a few more cans that were suspected to have been on board at the time of the crash. There were also reports of individuals on the boat “shotgunning” beers.
During Kight’s first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jeff Nieman shared additional details, including the fact that Kight was not paying attention to the front of the boat while operating it. A blood sample was taken to measure Kight’s blood alcohol content, but those results have not yet been made public.
Victim’s Family and Community Impact
Brooklyn’s family has been left devastated by the loss of the young girl, remembered as a “light in every room she entered.” A GoFundMe page set up for the family described Brooklyn as having an infectious smile, a loving heart, and a spirit that touched everyone she met.
The page has been flooded with donations to help with funeral expenses as the family copes with their heartbreaking loss.
Legal Proceedings and Previous Offenses
Kight is currently being held in the Chatham County Jail on a $500,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for August 20. In addition to the charges stemming from this incident, Kight has a pending hit-and-run case in Moore County and has a previous DUI conviction from New Mexico in 2010.
This tragic event has shaken the community, and authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The consequences of impaired boating are tragically clear, with a young life lost and another person’s life forever changed.
