(ANGOLA) - A man was riding on a pontoon as a pickup truck hauled it down U.S. 20 on the Fourth of July.
Now the man is dead, and the driver faces preliminary OWI charges.
The Steuben County Sheriff's Office says 22-year-old Chase Gustwiller of Defiance, Ohio was driving a 2015 GMC Sierra eastbound on U.S. 20 just before 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Gustwiller was pulling a pontoon boat on a trailer.
Deputies say 20-year-old Cameron Laney of Sherwood, Ohio was riding on the pontoon.
Investigators say Gustwiller turned right onto Metz Road at what witnesses described as a high rate of speed. The pontoon shifted and came off the trailer. It slid on the roadway before the winch strap broke away from the trailer.
The pontoon then slid off the road into a grassy area and overturned.
Deputies say Laney was thrown from the pontoon and became trapped underneath it.
When first responders arrived, they found Laney unresponsive with a possible head injury. Bystanders were performing CPR.
Steuben County EMS took Laney to Parkview Regional Medical Center in critical condition. He died at the hospital early the next morning.
The sheriff's office says Gustwiller allegedly showed signs of impairment during the preliminary crash investigation. Angola Police booked him into the Steuben County Jail on preliminary charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person, a Class A misdemeanor, and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death, a Level 4 felony.
Gustwiller has since posted a $10,000 surety bond and was released.
The sheriff's office says weather and road conditions were clear and dry at the time of the crash. Alcohol is believed to be a factor.
The crash remains under investigation by the Steuben County Sheriff's Office and Angola Police.
Gustwiller is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.