17 year old dies after boat anchor left in water flew up and hit him in the head
Hoodoo
6/14/05
Wisconsin State Journal
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=43438&ntpid=1
photo caption -
Betty Lou Knight studies a senior class photo Monday of her son,
Trevor. Proofs of the photos arrived shortly after the Thursday
boating accident that ultimately claimed her son.
(Leah L. Jones - State Journal)
Of the three sons of Rodney and Betty Lou Knight, Trevor was
known as the most level- headed.
He was the reserved one and the one with the most modest
demeanor, family members said. He was an excellent student and an
avid skier who created movies for class assignments and
volunteered at a center for the developmentally disabled.
Trevor, 17, died Sunday at UW Hospital from injuries received
Thursday in a boating accident on Madison's Lake Mendota.
He had just completed his junior year at Madison East High School
and was scheduled to take the ACT college entrance exam two days
after the accident.
He was steering the family's 19-foot deck boat about 3:30 p.m. on
Thursday near Governor's Island when the boat's anchor, which had
inadvertently been left in the water, flew up and hit him in the
back of the head. Two friends and his identical twin brother,
Troy, were with him in the boat. No one else was injured.
Trevor suffered a deep brain injury and never regained
consciousness, his father said. The family removed his life
support Sunday morning and was with him when he died later that day.
Once a tragedy like this hits you, "you're just numb, which is
probably a good thing," said Rodney Knight, a county employee who
serves as the staff attorney for the Dane County Regional
Airport. "I told Troy he's probably gone through the worst thing
he'll ever have to go through in his life."
"They were each other's best friend," said Betty Lou Knight, who
works in the training and order processing department at American
Girl. "I don't think they ever had a fight."
Trevor was an experienced boat driver who had taken a Red Cross
boat safety class, his father said.
The four boaters were celebrating the end of the school year -
Trevor had taken his last two finals the day before.
"It was going to be a nice little way to start the summer," said
Travis Knight, 18, Trevor's older brother.
Travis Knight, who was not on the boat, said the four boaters
were having a lot of fun together but were not partying. Alcohol
and drugs were not involved, he said.
"It was a freak accident for no reason," he said.
Rodney Knight speculates that the anchor may have caught on
something in the water, putting stress on the nylon anchor rope
and causing the anchor to spring out of the water as if released
from a slingshot.
At East High School on Monday, about 40 students met with
counselors throughout the day to discuss Trevor's death. Even
though classes are done for the year, the district will continue
to have counselors available at the school from 10:30 a.m. to
2:30 p.m. today through Friday. School counselors also will be
available at Thursday's church visitation.
"This was a young man who everybody liked, and everybody liked
having him in class," said Loren Rathert, East's interim
principal this school year. "He was just a delightful young man."
Trevor played viola in the school's orchestra and was a member of
the National Honor Society with his twin brother. He skied for
East and played varsity soccer.
"Trevor has a lot of friends here. It's not something that will
go away fast for them," said Beatriz Bonet, an East High
assistant principal who oversees Trevor's class.
At the hospital, streams of students visited Trevor over the
weekend, writing get-well wishes and favorite memories on posters
and in a book.
Betty Lou Knight said she worries about how Trevor's friends will
deal with their grief at such a tender age. Rodney Knight said it
was difficult to prepare the students for what they would face in
Trevor's hospital room.
"A lot of these kids are used to hospitals being places where
people get well. We had to let them know that they needed to say
goodbye to Trevor."
Funeral and visitation
A memorial service will be held for Trevor Knight at 7 p.m.
Thursday at St. Peter Catholic Church, 5001 N. Sherman Ave.,
Madison. Visitation will be at the church from 4 p.m. until the
time of service.
Memorials
The family asks that in lieu of flowers memorials be sent to the
Madison East High School Orchestra or Math Fund, 2222 E.
Washington Ave., Madison, WI 53704, or Plymouth United Church of
Christ, 2401 Atwood Ave., Madison WI 53704.
--
It's a big old goofy world. - John Prine
MWB
> Of the three sons of Rodney and Betty Lou Knight, Trevor was
> known as the most level- headed.
What is this paper thinking?
He is struck in the head by a flying anchor and the call him level headed.
Mark
Hoodoo
The were probably referring to the major flat spot on his head
after getting anchor-whacked.
J.D. Baldwin
It was just a fluke.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone disagrees with any statement I make, I
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it. -T. Lehrer
***~~~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------
James Neibaur
>
> What is this paper thinking?
>
> He is struck in the head by a flying anchor and the call him level headed.
So my laughing is wrong, I guess.
JN
Hoodoo
>>>Of the three sons of Rodney and Betty Lou Knight, Trevor was
>>>known as the most level- headed.
>>He is struck in the head by a flying anchor and the call him level
>>headed.
> It was just a fluke.
He might still be alive if hit by a "TV anchor".
Brigid Nelson
> Hoodoo wrote:
>
>> MWB wrote:
>>
>>>> Of the three sons of Rodney and Betty Lou Knight, Trevor was
>>>> known as the most level- headed.
>>
>>
>>
>>> What is this paper thinking?
>>> He is struck in the head by a flying anchor and the call him level
>>> headed.
>>
>>
>>
>> The were probably referring to the major flat spot on his head after
>> getting anchor-whacked.
>>
>>
I'm not getting your drift, did he wear a flat-top?
brigd
Charlene
Hoodoo wrote:
>
> He might still be alive if hit by a "TV anchor".
>
Well, they are mainly hot air...
wd41