Boater charged in wrong-way crash that killed 4 members of same family, GA officials say
A Georgia man was indicted on nearly a dozen homicide charges in a deadly boat crash that killed five people, four of whom were in the same family, according to local outlets.
A Chatham County grand jury indicted Mark Stegall, 45, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, charging him with 10 counts of first-degree homicide by vessel, the Savannah Morning News reported.
He’s also charged with six counts of serious injury by vessel, boating under the influence and reckless operation in the Memorial Day weekend crash, according to the newspaper.
The indictment comes months after a joint investigation by the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Chatham County District Attorney’s Office concluded that Stegall was intoxicated and driving his boat on the wrong side of the Wilmington River when the crash occurred on May 28, WJCL reported.
Authorities were alerted to the incident around 10:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that two boats collided near Thunderbolt Marina and multiple people were thrown overboard, McClatchy News reported. Two people died at the scene and three more bodies were pulled from the river on Sunday, May 29.
Beloved teacher and coach Christopher Leffler, 51, was among the victims, as was his wife Lori Leffler, 50, and their sons Nathan Leffler, 17, and Zachary Leffler, 23, authorities said.
Robert Chauncey, 37, was a passenger on the second boat and also died in the crash.
Stegall was charged with two counts of homicide per victim, “one for causing the collision and the victim’s subsequent death and the other for the victim’s death,” WJCL reported, citing the indictment.
He also faces two counts of serious injury by vessel for each surviving victim, according to WTOC.
This story was originally published August 18, 2022 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Boater charged in wrong-way crash that killed 4 members of same family, GA officials say."