A tragic boating accident in Massachusetts has claimed the life of 24-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, a former Union College soccer player. The incident occurred when Dankert and her friends purportedly commandeered a vessel without permission, resulting in a collision with a pier.
The Massachusetts State Police reported that the recreational powerboat crashed near a runway at Logan International Airport around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. This unfortunate event has sparked significant attention, primarily due to the group allegedly taking the boat after the club had closed for the evening.
According to Lee Gordon, a spokesperson for Brunswick Corporation, which owns the Freedom Boat Club, Dankert and her friends were in Boston’s Seaport District before they allegedly boarded the club’s vessel. The Freedom Boat Club operates globally, offering members an alternative to owning a boat with its extensive network of locations.
Dankert and her friends were in Boston’s Seaport District that night when they allegedly boarded a Freedom Boat Club vessel after the club had closed, according to Lee Gordon, a spokesperson for Brunswick Corporation, which owns the club, told Fox News Digital.
Freedom Boat Club operates as a membership-based alternative to boat ownership with hundreds of locations worldwide.
A damaged recreational boat sits near a pier at Logan International Airport in Boston after a crash Wednesday night that killed former Union College soccer player Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, according to Massachusetts State Police. (Boston Emergency Medical Services)
“The vessel involved in the incident was taken without authorization and operated outside the knowledge and control of the Club, well after the Club had closed for the day,” Gordon said. “This activity did not occur within normal Club operations or established protocols governing access to and use of our vessels.
“We are cooperating fully with all relevant authorities as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.
Boston EMS said in a Facebook post that crews responded to the crash overnight in difficult conditions, including darkness and slippery shoreline rocks near the pier.
EMTs worked with Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) fire crews to extricate four people from the rocks, including one critically injured patient.
A former collegiate student-athlete was killed after a recreational powerboat crashed into a pier near a runway at Logan International Airport late Wednesday night. (Getty Images, File)
Following the crash, the boat’s driver, Lawrence Shieh, 40, and two of Dankert’s 23-year-old friends were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
The three suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to WCVB.
“Lizzie was an exceptional student-athlete who had a tremendous impact during her four years at Union College,” school spokesperson Phillip Wajda told Boston 25 in a statement.
“Her passing is a profound loss for our campus community,” he added.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is continuing to investigate the crash.
The attorney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.