Victim could face ‘permanent disfigurement’ after hit-and-run boat collision in Thurston County
May 4, 2026, 10:53 AM | Updated: 10:55 am
Boston Harbor in Thurston County. (Photo courtesy of Pierce County Sheriff's Office)
(Photo courtesy of Pierce County Sheriff's Office)
A 51-year-old man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of assault by watercraft after he allegedly ran over another boater near Boston Harbor in Thurston County, leaving the victim with significant injuries.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said he and deputies were dispatched to a boat collision near Boston Harbor at around 9:30 p.m. on May 3 after reports of a person in the water.
When they arrived, investigators determined a large boat had run over a smaller vessel, ejecting an occupant into the water. The larger boat then ran over the person who had been thrown from the smaller craft, Sanders said.
The operator of the larger boat did not stop after the collision and continued on, according to Sanders. The boat returned to the area a short time later.
In the interim, numerous boaters from the Boston Harbor Marina rushed to rescue the victim, who was treading water despite sustaining substantial injuries. Sanders credited those bystanders with potentially saving the victim’s life.
“Thank you to all the witnesses who assisted with rescuing the victim out of the water,” Sanders said in a social media post Sunday night. “The victim has significant injuries that may result in permanent disfigurement and, without your assistance, may not have survived for any extended period of time in the water.”
Sanders said detectives and deputies conducted interviews at the scene and obtained video footage of the incident. Witnesses reported the larger boat was being operated recklessly prior to the collision, he said.
The evidence led to the operator of the larger boat being placed under arrest on suspicion of assault by watercraft. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was booked into the Thurston County Jail at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to jail logs.
Sanders said the victim sustained injuries that could result in permanent disfigurement. The sheriff said he is hoping for a speedy recovery for the injured boater. The victim’s name and current condition have not been released.
The investigation is ongoing. Additional charges could be filed as detectives continue to review evidence and interview witnesses.
Boston Harbor is a small waterfront community located northeast of Olympia along Budd Inlet in southern Puget Sound.
Manda Factor is the co-host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here.
