The U.S. Coast Guard will lead the investigation because the crash involved a commercial vessel.
ORANGE, Texas — A 37-year-old Pearland man died Tuesday evening after the recreational boat he was operating crashed into a commercial barge on the Sabine River in Orange County.
The fatal collision happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29, on the Sabine River/Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, approximately halfway between Cow Bayou and Adams Bayou in Orange County, according to a news release from Texas Game Wardens.
The operator of a 25-foot bay boat, David Mitchell Besser, 37, of Pearland, crashed into the front of the commercial barge as it traveled along the waterway. Besser, the boat’s lone occupant was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Orange County Precinct Two Justice of the Peace Chad Jenkins.
Jenkins has ordered an inquest into the death.
Multiple agencies responded to the accident, including Texas Game Wardens, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard will lead the investigation because the crash involved a commercial vessel, according to the release. Further inquiries should be directed to the Coast Guard or Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The identity of the deceased boater has not been released.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.