TX TX - Hit & run boat accident, Lake Lewisville, 17 June 1995

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dianewms1

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About 12 years ago there was a boating accident on Lake Dallas at night. A speed boat collided with another boat with several girls on it. One of the girls was hit in the face by the propellor and her face was totally destroyed.
She has spent years and years of reconstruction. The boat left the scene without helping. There were several people on the boat and no one so far has come forward in the case. Every few years Americas Most Wanted replays the story. I have desperately wanted to see this case solved. This young lady deserves justice. The speed boat was burgundy and gray.
 
Do you remember a name so I can find a link to the story? I remember the case, vaguely, but am not able to find anything googling. Thanks!
 
I was just talking about this case the other day when we were on the lake! It was at Lake Lewisville near Dallas and it was a cigarette boat that they were looking for in the hit and run. It was night and the other boat hit their boat, going over the boat and taking the woman's face off. I am looking for a link.
 
June 1995 Stephanie Booker was in a boat on Lake Lewisville in Texas. She and two friends were headed toward Charlie's Pier 121 Marina when a cigarette styled boat hit the rear of their craft and sped away. She remembers seeing the hull before its propeller struck her and reported she could feel her face being ripped off. Her face was almost cut into three parts. She was life flighted to Methodist Medical Center in Dallas. This accident was covered many more times in the media over the next few years, including coverage of legal actions, efforts to identify the hit and run boat and/or boat operator, a surprise search of about 3,000 boats at the Lake in July 1995, searching for wreckage on the lake bottom, possible involvement of a professional athlete, expiration of time limits to find the hit and run, the case being on a television program called 'Unsolved Mysteries", etc..

http://www.rbbi.com/pgic/propacc/highprofile.htm
 
Sassygerl said:
June 1995 Stephanie Booker was in a boat on Lake Lewisville in Texas. She and two friends were headed toward Charlie's Pier 121 Marina when a cigarette styled boat hit the rear of their craft and sped away. She remembers seeing the hull before its propeller struck her and reported she could feel her face being ripped off. Her face was almost cut into three parts. She was life flighted to Methodist Medical Center in Dallas. This accident was covered many more times in the media over the next few years, including coverage of legal actions, efforts to identify the hit and run boat and/or boat operator, a surprise search of about 3,000 boats at the Lake in July 1995, searching for wreckage on the lake bottom, possible involvement of a professional athlete, expiration of time limits to find the hit and run, the case being on a television program called 'Unsolved Mysteries", etc..
http://www.rbbi.com/pgic/propacc/highprofile.htm
Click to expand...
I remember this case. It just burns me up that, if they ever do find the perp, he can't be charged because the statute of limitations has passed. The athlete as perp is interesting because I heard that story too. A girl who worked at my dentist's office told me. This athlete was pretty hot stuff at the time, but for the life of me I can't remember who it was. I dismissed it as gossip at the time but now that you've brought it up, I wonder........
 
My husband worked with a neighbor of Dennis Rodman. He had a boat matching the description and it disappeared at the time of the accident. I reported this to the police and they told me he was a suspect early on. I did not ask if he were ruled out. If I were with Dennis Rodman Id be intimidated not to tell.
 
I know this sounds like "my best friend's cousin's neighbor said..." so take it for what it is worth. Before my wife and I married, we worked in popular Dallas night clubs in the 90s when this occurred. I met Rodman a couple of times, but my wife got to know his entourage fairly well through a kind of partying clique. He had a few guys who we assumed were paid "on staff" as protection and had an air about them of being "connected". One night at an after party, my wife ended up in a discussion with one of them about the incident. In a story telling fashion like OJ's "If I did it...", he described a hypothetical situation in which if it _did_ happen, Rodman wasn't on the boat, and was actually not even in town. I used to see that boat all the time on Lake Lewisville, and the majority of the time he wasn't on it, so that isn't as far fetched as you might think. He went on to insinuate that if the accident _had_ happened, that boat is no longer in existence. She was left with the impression that it had been burned, but that seems like a stupid attention-drawing way to rid the world of a boat to me.

The general consensus of everyone that I know that was active in the clubbing/lake scene during that period is that yes, it was Rodman's boat, but he was not personally involved.
 
olllllo, I don't think the story sounds far fetched. Because of his travel and etc... I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that one of his "groupies" (for lack of a better word) could have had access to the boat. If someone in his "group" was involved, I wish they'd speak up, instead of leaving this mystery behind them.
 
I was on the lake earlier in the afternoon on the day it happened.
I saw Dennis Rodman driving recklessly and have always believed him to have been involved.
 
I had always wondered if the cigarette had not simply sunk. This kind of boat has a flexible composite material hull "skin" designed for absorbing wave shock that is notoriously prone to rip when colliding with solid obstacles. I can't imagine one hitting another boat at high speed and not sustain extensive hull damage. Of course even if the boat sank that doesn't mean the driver did not escape.

As for why the boat was never found if it sunk that's pretty easy to explain given the huge size and great depth of the reservoir. The damaged boat could have traveled some distance prior to sinking and unless one knows where on the lake to look for it it's quite a gamble. 400 feet of water would crush the wreck into pieces too small to detect with a sonar amidst other objects lying on the lake floor. It probably *could* be located with sufficient resources but since the victim survived the accident I assume the budget available to investigators was relatively modest. And even if the culprit was ever found, not much could be brought up against him in a criminal court by now. In civil court however...
 
I am blown away with the Dennis Rodman connection.

I remember seeing the story on UM several times and I was always amazed at the control the women had in describing the situation. I would have been frantic.

One question though - if I recall correctly they mentioned a tall, well-built man driving the boat with a female with long hair. In fact, in the recreation of the collision they showed a man who looked like a body builder.


I know it's television and all that - but the recreation man looked nothing like Dennis Rodman. Not that it would be easy - but the actor used looked more like Sylvester Stallone.

Never saw Dennis Rodman in person but would he be described as tall and well-built?
 
Stella said:
It just burns me up that, if they ever do find the perp, he can't be charged because the statute of limitations has passed.
Click to expand...

There is a good reason for this. In many states the most serious charge that could be brought up against the driver would be DUI causing bodily harm, but I don't know if in Texas operating a pleasure craft is even legally considered "driving" because in some states it isn't. Assuming he or she could have been charged with DUI it would be impossible to prove in court and therefore a waste of time and money.

The lesser charge of reckless endangerment would be easier to prove circumstantially but still not a sure shot after all those years.
 
My gosh, the things I learn here on WS...
 
OilPainter said:
Never saw Dennis Rodman in person but would he be described as tall and well-built?
Click to expand...

Yes, very tall and muscular, at least he was when he was active. But Rodman is an African-American, if they used someone who looked like Stallone in the recreation then they were careful not to allude to Rodman, or to anyone in particular maybe.
 
OilPainter said:
I am blown away with the Dennis Rodman connection.

I remember seeing the story on UM several times and I was always amazed at the control the women had in describing the situation. I would have been frantic.

One question though - if I recall correctly they mentioned a tall, well-built man driving the boat with a female with long hair. In fact, in the recreation of the collision they showed a man who looked like a body builder.


I know it's television and all that - but the recreation man looked nothing like Dennis Rodman. Not that it would be easy - but the actor used looked more like Sylvester Stallone.

Never saw Dennis Rodman in person but would he be described as tall and well-built?
Click to expand...

He's 6'7" and played at around 220-230 lbs. Big and very muscular, lots of ink, and a tendency to dress in drag. This photo doesn't show the height but it sure shows the muscle: http://www.celebrityrehab.com/soberhouse-season-2
 
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