Fisherman sues after dramatic boat crash caught on video

A fisherman who jumped ship into bone-chilling water to dodge a speeding motorboat has filed a $372,500 lawsuit, alleging the other driver was distracted by his cellphone just before the dramatic crash caught on video.

Bryan Maess filed the suit earlier this month against Marlin Lee Larsen, 75, over the Aug. 12 crash near the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, the Oregonian reports.

A GoPro camera mounted to Maess’ 20-foot fishing boat captured the chaos in the seconds before Larsen’s 31-foot motorboat crashes into the smaller, stationary vessel. A passenger on Maess’ boat frantically waves his arms and repeatedly screams “Hey!” in a desperate attempt to get the driver’s attention.

“Oh my God,” another passenger screams just before the trio leap into the chilly water.

The video — which was later posted to Facebook — shows the moment the speeding motorboat plows into Maess’ fishing vessel.

Deputies in Clatsop County and the US Coast Guard responded to the crash in the Columbia River near Tansy Point and found significant damage to the fishing boat. Maess and his two passengers, Christopher McMahon and Roni Durham, managed to jump from the fishing boat just before the crash and were later treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office.

Drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash, deputies said. Larsen was cited for reckless operation, three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of fourth-degree assault.

Larsen told investigators he couldn’t see where he was driving since he was sitting down. Larsen, who uses a motorized scooter on land, admitted that he probably should’ve been standing at the time, according to a sheriff’s report obtained by the Oregonian.

Larsen’s son-in-law, who was also on the boat at the time, told investigators that he occasionally saw Larsen using his cellphone while driving the boat. State law bans cellphone use while driving, but there are no specific laws governing cellphone use while boating.

Larsen has denied using his cellphone while driving the motorboat, claiming that allegations to the contrary were “fake news,” according to the Oregonian. He has pleaded not guilty as his criminal case unfolds.

Investigators said Maess and his passengers likely dodged serious injury or death by leaping into the water. More than five months after the crash, Maess, who is a police officer, continues to suffer vision problems, headaches and injuries to his ankle, leg and arm, according to the suit.

McMahon and Durham have yet to file lawsuits against Larsen, although they’ve hired attorneys to do so. Attorney Josh Lamborn said Durham suffered psychological trauma during the crash and hasn’t been able to return to the water since August.

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Facebook selfie showing murder weapon helps convict killer

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A Canadian woman has been convicted of killing her friend after police discovered the murder weapon used in a picture of the pair on social media.

Cheyenne Rose Antoine, 21, pleaded guilty on Monday to killing Brittney Gargol, 18, in March 2015.

Gargol was found strangled to death near a landfill in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with Antoine’s belt near her body.

Antoine was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter.

She was identified as a suspect after she posted a selfie on Facebook of the two of them, showing her wearing the belt hours before Gargol died.

Antoine, who was initially charged with second-degree murder, also eventually confessed to a friend that she had hit Gargol and strangled her, CBC reported from court.

She said they were drunk and high on marijuana, and got into a heated argument.

Police said that aspects of the story she first gave to them – which was that the pair had visited several bars before Gargol left with an unidentified man, while she went to see her uncle – did not add up.

They used Facebook posts to help establish the movements of the pair that night.

Police realised that Antoine’s Facebook post on Gargol’s personal page the following morning – “Where are you? Haven’t heard from you. Hope you made it home safe” – was a diversion.

As part of her plea, Antoine accepted responsibility for Gargol’s death but said she did not remember killing her.

“I will never forgive myself. Nothing I say or do will ever bring her back. I am very, very sorry… It shouldn’t have ever happened,” she said in a statement through her lawyer.

Her lawyer said her client had suffered years of abuse in the Saskatchewan care system and had gone to police to report abuse by foster parents a month before the killing.

Before Antoine was sentenced, Gargol’s aunt gave a victim impact statement to the court.

“Most days we can’t stop thinking about Brittney, what happened that night, what she must have felt fighting for her life,” Jennifer Gargol said.

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