Man avoids prison in 2016 Indiana boat crash that killed 2

CROWN POINT, Ind. – An Indiana man who pleaded guilty in a 2016 Lake Michigan boat crash that killed two passengers has avoided prison time in the case.

Thirty-nine-year-old Tony Gibson earlier entered the plea to two counts of reckless homicide in the deaths of 68-year-old Richard Wade of Hammond, Indiana, and 62-year-old Timothy Dunlap of Lynwood, Illinois. Gibson apologized Thursday, saying he doesn’t know why he survived.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports Gibson was ordered to serve 1 1/2 years in a work-release program followed by 1 1/2 years of probation.

Prosecutors say Gibson was intoxicated in July 2016 when the 42-foot (12.8-meter) powerboat he was operating crashed into a break wall near an East Chicago, Indiana, marina. Records say Wade and Dunlap were found dead in the water and Gibson was found walking barefoot on land.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com