Two men are dead and one is injured following a boating accident on Lake Texoma on July 10, 2021.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to a call about a boat accident near Kingston.
OHP trooper Scott King said it was a boat malfunction that caused the accident.
“We had three subjects in a boat, they were heading past the wood island area and for unknown reasons the boat took an abrupt hard turn which threw all three passengers out of the vessel,” King said in an interview.
After some investigating, officials found the boat’s steering malfunctioned, throwing the three brothers into the water.
Eddie Hayne, a 62-year-old and Devered Hines, an 80-year-old were both pronounced at the scene from trauma from the accident. Clifford Hines, the 67-year-old who was driving the boat was treated and released.
King said this was the first fatality since summer started, and implores boaters to practice safety on the water.
“In an incident like this lifejackets would have been great you know. Would’ve really come in handy,” King said. “Even if you wear your smaller lifejacket your inflatable life jacket that’s better than not having one at all.”