Insets, from left: Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert (Conte Funeral Home) and Lawrence Shieh (WCVB). Background: The boat Shieh was allegedly operating when the tragic collision occurred, resulting in Dankert’s death (Boston EMS/Facebook).
In a disturbing incident that unfolded under the cloak of night in Boston Harbor, a man from Massachusetts faces serious allegations after his boat violently collided with a pier. This fatal crash claimed the life of 24-year-old Elizabeth Dankert. Earlier in the evening, the accused had picked up Dankert and her friends from a local bar.
The suspect, 40-year-old Lawrence Shieh, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, boating while intoxicated resulting in death, and two additional counts of intoxicated boating causing severe injuries, as confirmed by the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
This tragic event, which took place on May 13 near the vicinity of Logan International Airport, cost Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert her life.
Addressing the media at a press briefing, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden reported that Shieh had been socializing at a bar with his friends earlier that evening. After they departed, he engaged in conversation with Dankert and her two companions. In an apparent bid to impress, Shieh invited the women to join him at his boat club.
The club allows members to take boats out into the harbor, but they can’t do so at night. Shieh allegedly took the boat, which he did not own, out onto the water with the three women inside. The boat did not have any exterior lighting to illuminate the water. Shieh was allegedly driving near Logan International Airport, where boats are prohibited.
“In the time leading up to the crash, cellphone videos recorded Shieh’s conduct, including inattentiveness at the helm, dancing, and engaging with the three young women,” Hayden said. “Approximately six seconds before the crash, Shieh is captured on video with both hands off the wheel of the boat.”
Surveillance video showed that the boat crashed head-on into a Logan Airport runway approach pier at roughly 36 mph, which is considered an excessive speed, prosecutors said. All the occupants of the boat fell backward upon impact. Dankert suffered a fatal injury to the back of her head. Shieh and the two other women suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The defendant’s blood alcohol level was 0.20, more than twice the legal limit.
“In the end, we are here today, and Lizzie Dankert is not here today because of Lawrence Shieh’s dangerous and ultimately deadly behavior,” Hayden said. “He unlawfully took a boat out into Boston Harbor in the dead of night, he drove that boat at a reckless speed in a restricted area of the Boston Harbor. He did this with three young women aboard, placing their lives in imminent danger.”
Shieh pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $25,000 bond. His next court date is set for Oct. 8.
Dankert was an English major at Union College, where she played on the soccer team.
“Her greatest joy was found in tight and meaningful relationships, time in nature, the beach, a beautiful view and new adventures,” her obituary said. “She worked hard for the things she valued. She was a tremendous soccer player and played at the college level.”
The family’s lawyer released a statement, saying they had hoped someone would be held accountable.
“There is some measure of relief in finally learning what happened that fateful night and seeing that the wheels of justice are in motion,” the statement said. Family members “intend to focus their attention primarily on the seemingly insurmountable tasks of learning to go on without their beloved daughter and sister, Lizzie, and trying to honor the way she lived (with positivity and joy) rather than the way she died.”
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