Law enforcement, crash victims urge sobriety at Lake of the Ozarks for Memorial Day weekend

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KY3) - With the Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, Lake of the Ozarks leaders want to remind everyone to celebrate safely.

Boating and drinking are illegal, just as driving and drinking. Alex Otte is a survivor of an intoxicated driver of a boat.

“The boat hit me going over 60 miles per hour, threw me off the jetski. I landed facedown in the water. The boat went up over the jet ski and came down on top of my body before it sunk,” said Otte.

Nearly 12 years ago, her accident ultimately caused her to lose her leg.

”I sustained severe life-threatening and lifelong injuries from head to toe, including a traumatic brain injury classified as shaken baby syndrome. My brain shook inside my head and started bleeding in four places. They were unable to make it stop. Because of that, I suffered from brain injury symptoms and severe PTSD,“ said Otte.

Now, she’s advocating to get those who choose to drink and drive off the waters and the roads.

”I just want people to remember that it’s a choice. It’s not an accident. It’s not a mistake. It’s a choice to drink. It’s a choice to get in a car or get in a boat. Life comes down to choices,“ said Otte.

Camden County is a “No Refusal” county. If officers believe you are over the drinking limit for a car or boat, they can get a search warrant for a blood alcohol test. It’s a test that determines how much alcohol is in a person’s system, and it can be done under 15 minutes.

“Since we went no refusal, there’s been an increase in DWI, both convictions and assessments, or complaints,” said Caleb Cunningham, Camden County Prosecutor.

Alex says she wants the man who crashed into her to know one thing.

”If I had an opportunity to tell him anything, it would be that he didn’t win.”

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