Drunk Boaters Targeted In New Law Print
State Government
By Administrator   
Monday, 27 June 2016 14:27
Raleigh - Governor Pat McCrory signed into law legislation that cracks down on boaters who operate their craft while drunk. 
 
The governor was joined by by students, teachers, elected officials and the family of Sheyenne Marshall.  House Bill 958 was named in honor of Sheyenne Marshall, a Concord teen and rising senior at Cox Mill killed by a drunk boater on Lake Norman last year over the Fourth of July weekend.
 
“This bill cannot bring Sheyenne back to us, but it can help save others by sending a strong message that drunk driving in a boat is just as dangerous as in a car,” Governor McCrory said. “With summer here and millions of people flocking to our state’s lakes and beaches, I want to remind everyone not to drink and drive.”
 
Sheyenne’s Law will strengthen penalties for causing death or serious injury by impaired boating from a misdemeanor to a felony.
 
In 2015, 25 people died due to boating-related accidents in North Carolina, and nearly half of those fatalities involved alcohol.