Canton Man Charged in Boating Accident That Injured Infant

A Canton man is facing charges in the boating accident that injured a four-month-old baby Saturday evening at Allatoona Lake. 

Joseph Scott Tofil, 50, is charged with boating under the influence and operating a vessel without a fire extinguisher. He was booked into the Bartow County Jail early Sunday morning and was later released on an $800 cash bond, Bartow County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Jonathan Rogers said. 

Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Law Enforcement Division responded to the accident around 11:30 pm. July 5 near the mouth of Illinois Creek at the lake. 

Rangers were patrolling the area during the fireworks show at the Allatoona Yacht Club, so they responded "within minutes," said DNR spokesperson Mark McKinnon. 

When they arrived onto the scene, they found five people — including the four-month-old infant — injured on a Maxum cabin cruiser. Rangers transported the group to the nearest boat ramp for treatment. It was determined they suffered non-life threatening injuries, so they were all taken to Cartersville Medical Center for further medical attention, McKinnon stated.  

McKinnon said witnesses told rangers that a Chaparral ski boat over took the Maxum cabin cruiser from behind. They also said "the ski boat hit the cabin cruiser from the rear, went up and over the boat causing significant damage to the vessel," he added.

The operator of the cabin cruiser sustained the most injuries, and there was only one minor injury among the four people in the Chaparral vessel.  

McKinnon stated the operator of the ski boat "was found to be impaired" and arrested for boating under the influence. The crash remains under investigation.