HILLSDALE, Mich. (WLNS) — Charges have been dismissed against a man involved in a boating accident in Hillsdale County that killed an 11-year-old.
On July 27, 2022, 11-year-old Lucia Salazar was killed after being hit by the propeller of a boat being controlled by Matthew Kovacic.
The accident happened around 3 p.m. offshore of the Michindoh Conference Center, which is a Christian camp and conference center on the east side of the lake along Bacon Road. The kids were on a banana boat and were being pulled by a small boat.
Kovacic was charged with a high court misdemeanor in Hillsdale County. During the trial, the judge said the evidence was “insufficient” to say if Kovacic had a vantage point where he could have seen Salazar, said Kovacic’s attorney Mike Nichols.
His attorney released a statement saying that Kovacic no longer works for the camp where the accident took place, Camp Michindoh, and has moved away from the area.
“We grieve for the family of young Ms. Salazar and find this to be an unspeakable tragedy, but it
is exactly the definition of an accident,” said Nichols.
