CULLMAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — The family of a man killed during a deadly boat crash on Lewis Smith Lake in April is suing Major League Fishing and several others for negligence related to his death.
The family of Jeffrey Little, who died in the crash, is suing the fishing tournament operation along with the organization’s president, Boyd Duckett, saying they acted negligently, which led to Little’s death during an MLF fishing event on Smith Lake back on April 16.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said that Little was killed when he was thrown from the center console boat he was in after it collided with a nitro bass boat. The lawsuit also names Flint Davis, who was driving the nitro bass boat, and Gary Holcombe, who police said was operating the boat Little was in.
The family said in the lawsuit that MLF and Ducket ignored the dangers of unregulated speeds in its competitive bass fishing tournaments and knowingly adopted lax safety standards.
An example listed in the lawsuit said that MLF chose to regulate life jackets and kill switches on its participants’ boats, but “consciously and intentionally” refused to adopt any standards that would regulate speed.
The lawsuit states that MLF knew or should have known that regulations such as placing restrictions on horsepower, enforcing speed limits, and limiting the number of console electronics that might block the driver’s sightlines would prevent accidents and increase the safety of its participants and the public.
Additionally, the lawsuit said MLF and Duckett failed to ensure its participants for thistournament, including Davis, had a boating license or boating safety certifications.
The lawsuit said Davis did not have a valid boating license in his home state of Georgia, and he did not have a Non-Resident Alabama Boater Safety Certification.
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