Boston boater charged after drunken crash kills Union College graduate
A 40-year-old Boston man was indicted for operating a stolen boat while intoxicated, causing the death of 24-year-old Union College soccer player Elizabeth Dankert and injuring two friends.
Prosecutors announced that Lawrence Shieh, 40, of Boston, was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury on several counts, including involuntary manslaughter, operating a boat while intoxicated causing death, and two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury. The charges stem from a May 13 incident in which Shieh, after a night of bar-hopping in the Seaport District, took a Freedom Boat Club vessel without permission and crashed it into pier 4R near Logan International Airport.
Blood tests showed his alcohol content at.20, exceeding the.08 legal limit. The collision killed 24-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, a Union College graduate and former women’s soccer player, and injured two of her friends. An additional airport-security violation was filed because the wreck occurred adjacent to an active runway. Union College spokesman Phillip Wajda called Dankert an exceptional student-athlete and expressed deep sorrow for the campus community.
Why it matters
The case highlights the dangers of reckless boating and the legal consequences of operating stolen vessels while intoxicated.
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