Couple injured, dog killed in boating accident on Lake St. Clair

A 19-foot boat clearly took a major hit.  34-year-old Kevin Bushon of Shelby Township is accused of boating drunk and slamming his 21-foot powerboat into the smaller boat's side.

The impact seriously injured the Roseville couple on board and killed their dog while they were anchored watching fireworks on Lake St. Clair.

"All of a sudden a boat apparently did not see them and the driver of that boat was intoxicated and just went over the top of them," Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham explained.

He says Bushon's boat had to be going pretty fast.  It was dark on the water Saturday night, but the victims anchored about two miles from shore did have their light on.

The sheriff says Bushon's alcohol level was 0.13, only slightly over the legal limit of 0.10 on the water, but it was enough to contribute to a serious accident and land him up to five years in prison.

"We want people to be out there.  We want them to enjoy the lake, but we want them to act responsible and look out for other boaters," Wickersham said.

The 47-year-old man who was hit is in critical condition with a head injury.  His wife suffered less serious injuries.  We're told the dog was killed instantly.

The sheriff says this is the first accident where people were seriously hurt on Lake St. Clair and its early in the boating season.  He's reminding people drunk driving is as dangerous on a boat as it is on the road.

"If you are going to drink and you know that there's a chance you might have too much to drink, make sure there's somebody else that's on board that can operate that vessel and get you back to the dock safely," said Wickersham.