76 year old Cooper W. Bacon, the captain of a sixty-foot Princess powerboat that clashed with longtime 81-year old fisherman Walter Krupinski’s twenty-three-foot Steiger Craft on 22nd Sept., killing him, was called before a court to answer an indictment this week at the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal and he charged with violations of the United States Coast Guard Inland Navigation Rules.
Cape May Court House’s Bacon, of Cape May Court House is facing charges of wrong navigation or failure to have a good watch, failure to take necessary action to avoid a collision, as well as unlawful overtaking of another boat. Each of these violations bears a maximum US$ 100 fine.
Peggy, Krupinski’s wife, stated that she believes criminal charges must have been filed and plans to register a civil lawsuit against Cooper W. Bacon. In an interview earlier this week, she compared a boating hit to a major motor vehicle collision, in which a person at fault could face charges of homicide or neglectful manslaughter.
As per Mcilmail, even though Rhode Island do not have a careless manslaughter legislative act specific to boating, someone tangled in a fatal boating mishap might be charged with careless manslaughter, same as what could take place happen in a motor vehicle crash.


On 22nd September, weather conditions off the Watch Hill, RI were jerky with waves four to six feet in height when the very first reports of the crach came in from nearby boaters just after 10 am.