Two young men are facing underage drinking charges after rescuing a sober accident victim from a North Carolina Lake. Deputies claim that the two young men smelled of alcohol when law enforcement looked into the tragic accident.
A 15-year-old North Carolina teen was severely injured in a diving accident on High Rock Lake earlier this month. The teen reportedly dove from a pontoon boat into shallow water. The young man had not been drinking before the tragic accident. The North Carolina teen reportedly broke his neck during the dive into the lake.
A number of other young men are credited with saving the accident victim’s life. A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old acted to save the accident victim from High Rock Lake. The 17-year-old and another young man pulled the accident victim from the water, and the 18-year-old, an Eagle Scout, performed CPR on the accident victim.
The third young man (who had helped pull the accident victim from the water) drove the pontoon. The teens first sought assistance from people on a fishing boat, and then continued on to Tamarac Marina. Emergency crews took over care for the accident victim at the marina.
Deputies conducted interviews in the aftermath of the accident. Law enforcement claims the young men admitted to drinking beer. Breath tests reportedly show that the 17-year-old measured 0.04 percent blood alcohol content, while the 18-year-old reportedly measured 0.11 percent. Authorities accuse two of the heroes of underage drinking.
The accident victim reportedly required surgery to insert pins into his neck. The high school sophomore had been airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Source: Salisbury Post, “Teens who saved friend charged with underage drinking,” Aug. 3, 2012
