Southfield (WWJ) -- A tragic boating accident in the St. Clair River. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department says three people died and one is hospitalized in serious condition after a boat struck a dock on the North Channel of the river in Clay Township Friday night.
Witnesses near the scene responded and pulled one person from the water. Three others were in the boat. One man was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were taken to the hospital, where one man and one woman died. A third victim is in serious condition.
Boat owner Brian Joseph Karasinski, 50, Scott Jay Gearhart, 50, and his wife Barbara Janet Gearhart, 47, all died following the crash, the sheriff's department said. All aboard were from Fair Haven.
The owner's wife Lorraine Audrey Karasinski, 51, was flown by helicopter to an Ann Arbor hospital for surgery. She was in serious condition Saturday, said Lt. William J. Krul, commander of the sheriff department's Marine Patrol division.
Authorities don't know how fast the boat was traveling, Krul said, but based on witness statements "it was quite fast.'' Krul said open and closed containers of alcohol were found on board the craft.
Toxicology and autopsy reports were expected in a week or two, he said.
Krul said police want to interview Lorraine Karasinski next week to determine who was at the helm.
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