Annapolis mom pushes for stricter Maryland boating law after son’s death in crash
By Alexus Davila
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — After losing her son in a boating crash, an Annapolis mother is heading to the Maryland General Assembly.
Nick’s Law aims to make stricter boating laws by doing two main things.
If a boater is a convicted offender, they are suspended from operating a boat for a period. This bill would increase that suspension time and create a database of these boaters for agencies to track.
The law is named after Nick Barton, who died in a June 2022 crash on the West River.
Shayne Smith, 21, was operating the boat when it crashed into a channel piling. Smith was sentenced to 18 months in jail for being under the influence of drugs and alcohol while operating the boat.
Nick’s mother, Marie Barton, is now pushing for stricter boating laws under the name of her son.
If someone is found under the influence on a boat and it results in a death, this new law would prohibit the person from operating a boat for five years. If there was no death, then two years.
“Think twice before you go out and you have a drink,” Marie Barton said. “It took my son’s life. If I can save one life, then I did my job. And I know Nick would be so proud.”
Another feature this bill wants to create is a database that would allow the Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resource Police Officers to track which boaters are prohibited from operating a boat.
It would also require courts to provide information on the offenders to keep the database updated.
The DNR said it supports this bill and are working with legislators to establish penalties for operating while suspended.
In a statement to WJZ, the head of the Natural Resources Police Special Services Bureau said “Nick’s Law has the potential to take dangerous vessel operators off the water for longer periods of time. The database proposed in this bill allows Natural Resources Police Officers on patrol to have valuable information at their fingertips to assist them in enforcing suspensions handed down by the courts.”
If this law is passed, the database would be established by October 1, 2025.
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