By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


Hamburg Township Police are investigating a pair of boating accidents that occurred over the last week, one of which may result in criminal charges.

The first incident occurred on Sunday, August 8th at approximately 3:20am when Hamburg Township Police & Fire personnel along with Livingston County EMS were dispatched to an injury accident involving a watercraft on the north end of Gallagher Lake.

Upon arrival, Hamburg Police Chief Rick Duffany says that officers found a 2021 Tracker boat crashed into a small island approximately 100 feet offshore with two injured persons on board. First responders used a Hamburg Township Police Department patrol boat to reach the injured parties. Both people, a 31-year old Putnam Township man and a 27-year old female resident of Mississippi, were subsequently transported to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigation revealed that the male was the operator of the boat at the time of the crash. Alcohol appears to be a contributing factor in the crash and Duffany says they are awaiting toxicology results before sending the matter to the Livingston County Prosecutor’s Office for review for possible charges.

Meanwhile, a second incident occurred this past Saturday at approximately 6:54pm when Hamburg Township Police & Fire personnel were dispatched to a boating accident involving a boat and a jet-ski on Zukey Lake.

Duffany says their initial investigation revealed that a 20-ft GM Malibu open bow ski boat, operated by a 57-year old Hamburg Township resident, was pulling a male subject on a wake-board on Zukey Lake when it was struck on the starboard side by a jet-ski, operated by an 18-year old Putnam Township woman.

Two male passengers in the boat were ejected into the water as a result of the impact. The operator of the boat, the operator of the jet-ski, and one of the passengers on the boat suffered minor injuries, but all declined to be transported to a hospital. The boat and jet-ski both sustained significant damage.

Duffany says that alcohol was not a contributing factor in that accident but the investigation is ongoing.