Boat in Deadly Lake Lanier Crash Was Going 148 MPH, Report Says

CUMMING, GA — A boat crash that killed four people on Lake Lanier this summer happened as the boat was traveling as fast as 148 mph, according to a final report on the incident.

Witness statements in the report, by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, suggested that the speedboat was racing with another boat when it attempted to cross the other boat's wake, went airborne, landed on its stern, then flipped again.

Two couples from Kentucky were killed in the crash, which happened in July the night before the popular Lake Lanier Pirates Charity Poker Run.

They were Arthur Gene McMahan, Jr., 46, and Melissa Renee McMahan, 45, of Mount Washington, Kentucky, and Anthony Reece, Jr. 44, and Tammy Reece, 44, of Columbia, Kentucky.

"Excessive speed" was listed as the primary cause of the crash and "careless/wreckless" behavior was deemed a secondary cause in the DNR report, which was released Friday.

"A large amount of alcoholic beverages" also were found on the boat, according to the report, but investigators were not able to conduct toxicology tests on any of the victims.

Investigators also found that the victims were not wearing flotation devices at the time of the crash.

The boat's speed at the time of impact was measured by using a recall function on its speedometer. The boat was a 388 Skater -- a high-performance, offshore racing boat.

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