Sheriff: Boaters fled after striking children on waterway

NEW ROADS, La. (AP) — A Louisiana sheriff says he’s investigating after three children riding on tubes on a waterway were struck and injured by a pontoon boat. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux tells WBRZ-TV the occupants of the boat all fled after the Aug. 8 crash. Two of the children required hospital treatment. Thibodeaux says the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is leading the investigation. The department says agnts are gathering statements from witnesses and those involved. The crash occurred on False River, a so-called oxbow lake that once was the main channel of the Mississippi River until the river changed course in 1722, leaving the waterway behind.