The death of Anthony DeWeese in a fatal boat accident last December during San Diego's annual Parade of Lights was followed by months of investigation into the cloudy details surrounding the tragedy. Anthony DeWeese, whose parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, died of blunt force trauma after the recreational boat he was a passenger on was broadsided by a larger Coast Guard boat.

DeWeese was one of 13 people aboard the boat when it was struck. Minor to severe injuries were suffered by five others. Though crew members aboard the Coast Guard vessel denied negligence and traveling at unsafe speeds, eyewitness accounts and general boater opinion contradicted their claims.

On July 1, four members of the Coast Guard crew involved in the fatal accident were charged with a number of offenses, including negligent homicide and involuntary manslaughter. Preliminary hearings are set to take place in a matter of weeks.

The charges vary by crew member, and each individual's responsibility for the safety of both the boat and others in the water. The driver of the boat could face nearly 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Another crew member could face up to three months in prison for failing to serve as a lookout.

Investigators found that the Coast Guard boat was traveling too fast and was not employing proper safety precautions, an oversight even more egregious for the fact that it was the Parade of Lights. The annual festival usually attracts around 80,000 spectators and includes about 80 boats, not including spectator boats.

In total, there were likely more than one hundred boats on the water that night.

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