Parents of 2 Ozarks boat crash victims file lawsuit, allege negligence led to deaths
A lawsuit has been filed by the parents of two young Johnson County residents killed in a boat crash last May on the Lake of the Ozarks.
The suit filed in Camden County Circuit Court alleges negligence on the part of the boat’s owner and the young man who was operating the boat and was also killed.
Joseph LeMark, 23, and Daniel Lewis, 24, both of Overland Park, and Hailey Hochanadel, 21, of Olathe, were killed.
Also on the boat and injured in the crash were Hayden Frazier, 22, of Overland Park, and Ashley Lamb, 21, of Olathe.
Lewis was operating the boat, owned by Frazier, when it crashed almost head-on into a rock bluff just after midnight on May 19, according to the lawsuit.
The suit alleges that the boat was traveling at an excessive speed and that Lewis was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
It alleges that Lewis operated the craft in a negligent and careless manner and that Frazier was negligent in allowing him to do so.
“As the owner of the boat, defendant Frazier had a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect his passengers, including Joseph LeMark and Hailey Hochanadel, against the unreasonable risk of harm and injury while they were aboard the boat,” the suit alleges.
The suit names as defendants both Frazier and an attorney as legal representative for Lewis.
It seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
