LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC (WIS) -
Authorities say the West Columbia man who died last week while operating a personal watercraft on Lake Murray had a blood alcohol level just over four times the legal limit.
Lexington County Coroner Harry Harman said 49-year-old Richard Stowe's blood alcohol level was .33 when he crashed on the evening of June 8 near Bomb Island.
Investigators say Stowe, who was wearing a life jacket, hit an object in the water while driving a personal watercraft and was thrown.
An autopsy revealed that Stowe drowned.
In South Carolina, the legal limit to operate a watercraft is .08, which is the same as what it is to operate a vehicle.
Stowe's death is the first boating death of the year on Lake Murray, and the fifth boating death of 2012 statewide.
"We want to make sure everyone is safe while enjoying Lake Murray," said DNR spokesman Robert McCullough. "Our goal is to have no deaths on South Carolina waters, and unfortunately, that's not the case this year."
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