Texas Game Wardens are investigating a fatal boating collision at the Bird Island Basin boat ramp on the Laguna Madre in Kleberg County, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said.
According to a July 26 official media statement, game wardens from Nueces and Kleberg counties responded to the collision at about 6:15 a.m. July 25. A jon boat carrying three people collided with a center console boat, ejecting a 16-year-old boy who did not survive.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the young man’s family during this difficult time,” the department said in the statement. The Texas Game Warden Boat Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating, and the agency said no additional details would be released while the investigation remains open.
The department credited the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office, Padre Island National Seashore rangers, the Corpus Christi Police and Fire departments and U.S. Border Patrol with assisting at the scene.
Texas Game Wardens, part of the Law Enforcement Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, enforce conservation and boating-safety laws and assist in search-and-rescue operations. The agency encourages the public to report boating, hunting and fishing violations to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-792-4263.