BOSTON (WHDH) - The man who was a driving a boat in Boston Harbor in 2015 during an accident that claimed a woman’s arm has pleaded guilty to his role in the mishap.
Alexander Williams, 26, of Boston’s West End, admitted Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court to negligent operation of a boat, furnishing alcohol to minors, and tampering with evidence.
Related: Woman who lost arm in Boston boating accident speaks out in court
Williams was said to be among 13 people aboard the 30-foot vessel “Naut Guilty” on May 30, 2015. Williams bought what he described as “enough liquor to kill a horse” for the boats’ passengers, which included six young women that he knew to be under age 21, prosecutors said.
Among the passengers was the then-19-year-old victim, Nikki Berthiaume.
Berthiaume jumped into the water after the boat was anchored in the area of Spectacle Island. Prosecutors say Williams, who did not have knowledge of how to operate the boat, started the engine and failed to place it in neutral as Berthiaume swam back to the boat and attempted to climb aboard.
As a result, Berthiaume was pulled underwater by the propeller, prosecutors say. Her right arm was severed and she suffered severe lacerations to her left arm, legs, abdomen, and back.
“You will rarely hear me complain about the incident, and you will almost never hear me complain about my disability, but that does not mean that it doesn’t kill me every time I look in a mirror, drop something, or accept help from someone,” Berthiaume said in court last week.
A judge ordered Williams to pay $5,000 restitution, complete a certified drug and alcohol awareness program, and perform 200 hours of community service at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center.
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