Man kills 2 in crash on South Carolina lake after allegedly boating under the influence

LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WBTV) – A boater was allegedly driving under the influence when he crashed into another boat on a South Carolina lake this past weekend, killing two people and injuring at least one other.

Allen Sidney Benware Jr. III was arrested on Sunday, July 6 after the crash on the Laurens County side of Lake Greenwood.

Sister-station WHNS reported that state natural resources officers were patrolling the lake around 2 a.m. when they saw Benware operating a Yamaha boat that did not have proper navigation lights. The officers were reportedly about to stop Benware when he crashed into the other boat, which had five people onboard.

Of the five people on the other boat, two of them died. Another was thrown off the boat and was rescued shortly after, according to WHNS. A fourth person was hospitalized but has since been released.

WHNS reported that the two people who died were Thomas Chandler Davis and Abby Katherine Davis. Their obituaries showed both were 23 years old and were recent graduates of Clemson University.

Following their deaths, Benware was taken to the Laurens County jail and was charged with two counts of boating under the influence, as well as a boating equipment violation. He was being held without bond as of Tuesday, July 8.

“This tragic event serves as a stark reminder that alcohol and water are a deadly combination,” a state spokesperson said in a statement to WHNS. “We continue to urge the public: always designate a sober skipper. Lives depend on it.”

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