A boat involved in a deadly crash on Lake Lanier in July likely was traveling more than 100 mph at the time of the accident, according to a report from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The final report from the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) said Arthur McMahan, 46, was operating his 2009 Skater motorboat in the Cocktail Cove area of Lake Lanier, following behind another high performance boat. The report said McMahan attempted to overtake the other vessel and crossed the wake at a high rate of speed. That's when McMahan's boat went airborne and flipped, ejecting him and his three passengers.
The investigator wrote that all four people in McMahan's boat probably died upon impact with the water, since the boat was traveling so fast. The report also indicated no one on board was wearing a flotation device at the time of the crash.
The bodies of the two female victims - Melissa Renee McMahan, 45, and Tammy Reece, 44 - were recovered from the lake on July 16, the day after the crash. McMahan and a male passenger Anthony Reece, 44, remained missing in the lake until July 17. The two married couples had traveled from Kentucky to Lake Lanier for the 8th Annual Pirates on Lanier Charity Poker Run.
In addition to speed, carelessness could have been a factor in the deadly crash, according to the report.
"It is my opinion that had the trim tabs/K planes been installed, the bow of the vessel would have stayed down, therefore not allowing the vessel to ramp out of the water," the investigator wrote. "However, the same effect could have been obtained by the operator having the motors of the vessel trimmed properly."
The report said toxicology tests were unable to be performed on any of the victims.
