Clarksvillenow.com Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A memorial fund has been established for Stephanie Burns, the victim of a boating accident last weekend in Montgomery County.
Donations to the Stephanie Burns Memorial Fund can be made at any First Advantage Bank location. The donated funds will be used for burial expenses.
Investigators are looking at the details of the case. It will take three to four weeks for results from toxicology tests to determine if alcohol was a factor in connection with a deadly boating accident Saturday that claimed the life of Stephanie Burns, 21 of Clarksville.
Burns got caught in the propeller of a boat Saturday, and was deceased when emergency personnel arrived. 20 year old Aaron Santoya, also injured has since been released from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The incident occurred at the same time Tennessee Wildlife Resources officers were conducting the annual Operation Dry Water enforcement campaign aimed at reducing incidents of boating under the influence before the busy July 4th holiday weekend.
Operating a boat with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 percent or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impounding and the loss of boat driving privileges.
Statistics show that more than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities are a result of alcohol use. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.