An owner of a long Beach boat whose ship crashed in a high -speed pier during the summer, killing a man on board and injuring seven others, was accused of manslaughter guilty on Wednesday, announced the Los Angeles District Prosecutor’s office.
Kevin King, 57, was under the influence of alcohol when he crushed his boat – the “four kings” 48 feet long – in the pier, the prosecutors said on Wednesday. The accident killed John Correa, a former UC Berkeley baseball player who worked in real estate.
King pleaded not guilty of his indictment. He risks up to 13 years in prison.
The passengers on the boat described at the time the crash of July 3 and the events which led there, including the way people on board ate and drank alcohol during what was supposed to be a relaxed promenade by boat. While some believed that King had drank, no one told Times that King seemed seriously intoxicated.
“People said they had seen Kevin drink. It was soft. I can tell you. Not like a crazy situation,” said Barry Vince, one of the passengers. Vince does not drink.
But prosecutors saw the situation differently.
“Anyone who chooses to summon a drunk vehicle – whether it is a car, a motorcycle or a boat – puts life in danger, and they will be held responsible,” said Dist. Atty Nathan Hochman.
King is an experienced bucket and knows his boat as “the back of his hand,” said Vince.
“He came out on this ocean, on this thousands of times,” said Vince. “I had fully confidence in him.”
The boat had a dozen people on July 3 and returned to the platform in Alamitos bay when he crashed, passengers in Times told Times. Some said they thought the boat was traveling around 30 or 40 miles per hour when it had had an impact.
Six of the passengers were at the upper level, where the boat commands were, while six others were in an inner room below.
“It was just a horrible and massive impact. The sound was just something that I had never really heard before,” said a member of the group, who asked for the anonymity to discuss the sensitive event.
The six people on the upper deck were knocked out by the impact, and Correa was killed. King was one of the people on the upper deck, passengers told Times.
“John never woke up,” said Vince. “I saw John. I checked her pulse. He died. “
California Daily Newspapers
