Family of teen killed in Table Rock Lake boating accident sues Big Cedar Lodge, others

Ryan Collingwood, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

Sixteen months after their teenage daughter was killed in a boating accident at Table Rock Lake, a St. Louis-area family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Big Cedar Lodge.

Kendall Johnson, 15, died in July 2022 after being hit by a boat while swimming near Breezy Point. The rented pontoon boat, according to a recent court filing, was driven by her father, Chris Johnson, who claims the vehicle was in "dangerous and defective condition" when it accidentally accelerated and killed his daughter and injured another teen.

According to the recent lawsuit filed in Taney County, the family rented a pontoon boat from Big Cedar Lodge's Camp Long Creek during a summer vacation, a boat they claim "did not have a throttle interlock, a safety mechanism designed to prevent the Pontoon Boat's throttle from inadvertently moving from the neutral throttle position into the forward/reverse throttle positions."

Kendall Johnson, who played softball at Parkway West High School in the St. Louis area, died last year in a Table Rock Lake boating accident.
Kendall Johnson, who played softball at Parkway West High School in the St. Louis area, died last year in a Table Rock Lake boating accident.

Co-defendants in the lawsuit include White River Marine Group, Mercury Marine, Forestar Industries and TMBC Leasing. Johnson's family is seeking compensatory damages.

Chris Johnson, who said he was not warned about the boat's alleged issues or given instructions, was manning the boat as he observed the children — jumping off cliffs and swimming —  from a distance of around 75-100 feet before the deadly incident.

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The suit says Johnson kept the boat in neutral gear so he could adjust his position relative to other boats in the area. When his boat drifted too close to another and he began to create distance, he said a wake hit the boat, causing Johnson's arm or the driver's seat to hit the throttle.

The boat shot forward, striking swimmers Kendall Johnson — a rising student-athlete at Parkway West High School — and a 16-year-old boy before crashing into the cliffs. The girl succumbed to injuries caused by the propeller and the boy survived with minor injuries.

Chris Johnson said in the lawsuit that the boat's throttle lacked the strength to withstand "reasonably anticipated forces."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Family of teen killed in boating accident sues Big Cedar Lodge