A five-year-old boy is dead, and his nine-year-old brother and a 32-year-old man are missing after being thrown from a boat on the Nisqually River in Washington. A man and a woman were able to make it to shore and rescued. According to police, the man, 42-year-old Vincent Farler, was operating the boat while under the influence and driving recklessly. He was arrested on suspicion of homicide by watercraft. The woman is the mother of the boys. Her husband is currently serving in Iraq.

The mother and her boys were apparently having a picnic along the river when Farler and the missing man drove up and asked if they wanted a ride. The boat may have either hit a sandbar or capsized as it was trying to turn around after approaching a log jam. The current is high and swift, and the water extremely cold at this time of year due to runoff from snowmelt. None of those aboard the boat were wearing lifejackets. State law requires that boats, like the 16-foot flat-bottomed craft involved in the accident, carry a lifejacket for each occupant. Police state that the temperature of the river is between 50 and 55 degrees. Those exposed can develop hypothermia within minutes.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a boating accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.