Boat skipper drinking before crash

The skipper of a boat that crashed, injuring a passenger, returned a positive breath test.

Chris Ison

A MAN was injured in a boating incident on the Mid North Coast on Saturday night.

Police said four men were riding in a six-metre ski boat along the Myall Lakes Broadwater, near Bombah Point, when the boat crashed into a maritime navigation marker about 9pm.

As a result of the crash, a 24-year-old man was thrown from the vessel into the water.

He was rescued from the water a short time later and was seen to be having difficulty breathing.

The boat was driven to a nearby resort and the injured man was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment to chest injuries, facial lacerations and a broken tooth.

Police from Manning Great Lakes Local Area Command and Marine Area Command attended the scene and conducted inquiries.

The 25-year-old driver was breath tested and allegedly returned a positive reading.

He was arrested and taken to Bulahdelah Police Station where he undertook a breath analysis and allegedly returned a reading of 0.147.

The man will be formally interviewed in coming days and the investigation is on-going.