Last week a man was sentenced for his role in a 2002 boating accident that resulted in the death of a teenager. The man had previously pled guilty to causing the death of the 18-year-old.

The man admitted to driving his boat into the fishing boat around midnight, in early May of 2002. At the time of the collision, there were three people aboard the fishing boat. In addition to the man who died, the accident, which occurred on Lake Buchanan in Texas, also injured the two other passengers.

He ultimately pled guilty only to the felony charge of failure to stop and render aid. The charges of tampering with evidence and manslaughter were dropped as a part of the plea. In his plea he admitted that he left the scene of the crash despite seeing two people in the water.

The man was fined close to $10,000, must spend 100days in the Burnet County Jail and faces 10 years of probation.

For over eight years, investigators working on the case had been unsuccessful in determining who was responsible for the fatal accident. In 2010, they learned that the man had previously owned a boat that matched the description of the one they were looking for. It was discovered on the man's property but had been buried by the man in an effort to hide his involvement in the incident.

In cases like this it is not uncommon for a civil case to be filed as well. When negligent behavior that results in injury takes place on the water, a different law applies. Though the system is different, when successful, the end result is similar to other personal injury type cases and the plaintiff receives financial compensation for his or her injury or loss.

Source: The Highlander, "Marburger gets 10-year probated sentence, 100 days in jail," James Walker, Jan. 20, 2012