An 11 year old girl was killed last week when the wake from a passing boat threw her and eight others off their 23-foot boat on the Intracoastal Waterway just north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The girl, Olivia Knighton, the daughter of retired Major League Soccer goalie Brad Knighton, was hit in the head by her boat’s prop. She was taken to McLeod Seacoast Hospital in Little River, where she died.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said the boat Olivia was riding in “was rocked by a large wake caused by another boat, resulting in nine of the 12 occupants going overboard.” No one else was injured.
At first, the Department said it was making a “detailed inquiry that includes collecting witness statements, examining the boat and working to develop a complete picture of what happened.” It subsequently turned the investigation over to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Olivia was Knighton’s only daughter. He and his wife, Britney, also have two young sons.
Knighton, 38, played for the New England Revolution for many years. He wrote on Instagram that “Our family is still in shock at the sudden and tragic loss of our beautiful and brilliant daughter, Olivia, to an unfortunate boating accident yesterday. We are still in disbelief that her bright and pure light was taken from us so suddenly. Somehow we will get through this together as a family.”
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/12-were-onboard-during-boating-165256203.html
