26 Mar 2010

Skipper fined over Queen Charlotte Sound crash

10:34 am on 26 March 2010

A man who drove his motorboat into a trimaran carrying a family of six in Queen Charlotte Sound last April has been fined $2500.

Stuart Leck was also ordered to pay reparations to the family of $5000.

He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one charge of operating a ship in a manner which caused unnessary danger in Blenheim District Court.

The force of the crash threw the skipper of the trimaran overboard and the rest of the family off balance.

Maritime New Zealand says the crash could have been avoided if Leck was paying more attention to his surroundings, and those involved in the accident were lucky to get away with just minor injuries.