Left inset: Quinten Kight (Chatham County District Court). Right inset: Brooklyn Mae Carroll (GoFundMe). Background: Harris Lake in North Carolina (Wake County).
Authorities reported that a boater involved in a tragic accident on a North Carolina lake, which led to the death of a 10-year-old girl and a woman losing her leg, had a boat filled with beer cans. The boater was distracted, looking back at the tubers he was towing when the accident took place.
The suspect, Quinten Gregory Kight, aged 40, has been charged with multiple offenses, including operating a boat under the influence leading to death and causing serious injury by impaired boating, as per court documents. This incident happened on Shearon Harris Reservoir in Chatham County over the weekend.
Kight was piloting his boat when it collided with three swimmers situated approximately 100 feet from the shore, as reported by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The collision resulted in the death of young Brooklyn Mae Carroll. Additionally, another victim was severely injured by the boat’s propeller, necessitating the amputation of her left leg above the knee.
During Kight’s initial court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jeff Nieman disclosed further details. Officers discovered about 39 beer cans aboard the boat, in addition to a half dozen more that were likely present during the crash, Nieman indicated, referencing a local courtroom report by NBC affiliate WRAL. Evidence suggested that individuals on the boat were “shotgunning” beers, based on Nieman’s statements. Although several people were present on the boat at the time of the incident, Nieman refrained from specifying the exact number.
Nieman informed the court that Kight neglected to pay attention to the direction of the boat, focusing his gaze backward on those riding the inner tube he was pulling.
Authorities took a sample of Kight’s blood to determine the blood alcohol content, but those results have not yet been publicly released.
Meanwhile ,Brooklyn’s family is planning her funeral.
“BB was a light in every room she entered, with an infectious smile, a loving heart, and a spirit that touched everyone who knew her. Her laughter, kindness, and energy brought so much joy to her family and friends,” a GoFundMe page stated.
Kight is in the Chatham County Jail on a $500,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 20. He currently has a separate hit-and-run case pending in Moore County, and court records from New Mexico show that he pleaded guilty to DUI in that state in 2010.
