New details have been released in an affidavit in the case involving a weekend boating accident at Temple Lake park that killed a four-year-old girl and seriously injured her father.
According to the affidavit, the suspect Jason Bernal stated he put his boat into reverse and backed up his boat when someone told him to stop. Bernal told authorities that he could not see behind him due to his boat being three stories tall. He said he yelled clear prior to putting the boat in reverse and no one responded to his call.
In the officer’s video, the houseboat was in the water and people behind the boat were standing in waist deep water. A witness at the scene stated she saw the boat backing up and heard people in the water yelling. She said she tried to assist four-year-old Kaitlyn Oliver and her father Patrick Oliver who were struck by the boat.
The witness said she told the driver of the boat not to park in the area because there were children swimming the area. In a statement, the witness said the boat was in full throttle while backing up.
A woman who was with the father and daughter said she heard the house boat motor startup and saw the two victims behind the boat. She said she shouted to Bernal that people were behind the boat when the boat began to back up.
Patrick Oliver’s legs were severed while trying to save his daughters life Saturday evening.
Bernal is charged with criminally negligent homicide and is in jail with a bond set at $150,000
