COLDWATER, MI — A 44-year-old Grabil, Indiana man charged in the Aug. 3, 2024 boating death of Corey Butler on Coldwater Lake is set to go to trial Jan. 12.
Visiting Circuit Judge Amy Ronayne Krause scheduled Zachary Adams’ trial after hearings Aug. 13-14.
Judge Krause ruled that, at this stage, the defense cannot use Butler’s blood-alcohol level to argue he was responsible for his own death.
The jury will be instructed that Butler, 46, was not legally required to have lights on his boat while it was stationary near shore on that moonless night near Pearl Beach, Krause said.
Defense attorney Anastase Markou withdrew the claim that medical first responders contributed to Butler’s death by not following standard procedures while trying to free him from his boat after a mounted ski pylon impaled his leg.
Facts of the crash according to testimony:
Judge Krause noted that, under Michigan Supreme Court rulings, a victim’s intoxication is only relevant if it affects how the person was operating a vehicle.
Because Butler’s boat was stationary, Krause found his blood alcohol level irrelevant to whether Adams caused the crash.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nora Geiger presented an emergency medicine expert Thursday.
Dr. Luke Saski, president of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians, testified that best trauma care practice is to secure, not remove, an impaled object at the scene and transport the patient promptly.
In this case, emergency personnel attempted to cut the metal ski pylon from the boat, destroying two saw blades, but could not do so safely.
Saski explained that sudden catastrophic bleeding when pressure is released is a known risk, even when standard care is followed.
Unable to cut the pylon, EMTs acted appropriately, removing Adams given the internal bleeding and circumstances.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
Charges
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater Lake fatal boat crash trial scheduled for January
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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By Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter | USA TODAY Network
