Lisa Little, widow of Smith Lake angler Jeffrey Little (age 62) from Brandon, Mississippi, has filed a lawsuit against Major League Fishing (MLF) and others for his death.
Jeffery Little was killed when a boat driven by MLF competitor Flint Davis rounded a lake bend in the Miller Flats area of Smith Lake at high speed. His boat struck a center-console vessel containing several anglers, including Jeffrey Little, who was thrown out of the boat and drowned.
The center-console boat was operated by Gary Holcome of Smith Lake Striper Guide Service.
Killed in the boat collision were Jeffrey Little, John Clark from Cullman, Alabama, and Joey Broom from Altoona, Alabama.
The defendants named in Lisa Little’s lawsuit include Major League Fishing LLC; Boyd Duckett, president of MLF; Gary Holcombe and Flint Davis.
The suit for unspecified damages in part reads: “Defendant MLF, including its president, Defendant Boyd Duckett, knowingly created a culture in its fishing tournaments that encouraged, incentivized, and caused participants to negligently, recklessly and wantonly operate their fishing vessels in a manner that endangers public safety, and MLF did in fact encourage, incentivize, and cause Defendant Flint Davis to negligently, recklessly and wantonly operate his fishing vessel in a manner which resulted in Jeffrey Clayton Little’s death.”
The lawsuit also states that MLF failed to have safety parameters for tourney participants and did not consult with local officials regarding lake boating safety procedures.
The suit continues that “Defendant MLF, including its president, Defendant Boyd Duckett, ignored the dangers of unregulated speeds in its competitive bass fishing tournaments. It knowingly adopted lax safety standards as well, including but not limited to, failing to ensure participants had a boat license or boating safety certificate for driving a boat.”
The suit further alleges that “MLF and Defendant Duckett had no boating safety plan in place for this tournament that would have provided rules and regulations for safe travel on the lake that would protect the public in general and the anglers in the competition. Upon information and belief, MLF failed to consult with local law enforcement officials, marine police and/or boating experts to develop a safe boating plan for this tournament.”
It further asserts that MLF should have placed restrictions on boat horsepower, and “limiting the number of console electronics that might block driver’s sightlines.”
The plaintiff also demands a jury trial on all issues of its 16-page lawsuit.
