A Midlothian, Va., man was injured Saturday night in a boating accident on Lake Gaston when his boat ran aground.
According to N.C. Wildlife Officer Brandon Coffey, a 23-year-old man was cruising the lake and dropped his friends off near the Virginia state line. The man was headed back toward Eaton’s Ferry Bridge and was near Songbird Creek when he looked down to use his phone or to change music when the accident occurred.
“He had been drinking all day and ended up in the woods,” Coffey said. “Alcohol was involved.”
According to Coffey, a group on a pontoon boat noticed the boat in the woods, found the man and brought him to The Point restaurant. Warren County Rescue Squad transported him to Halifax Regional Medical Center with severe head trauma, lacerations to his face and injuries to his arm, Coffey said.
The wildlife officer reported that the man’s name has not been released, and charges have not been filed at this time because the accident remains under investigation.
The Longbridge Volunteer Fire Department was also on scene.
The boat was towed to the WatersView shoreline and tied up there.
