11-year-old girl killed in SC boating accident

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. — An 11-year-old girl died Wednesday in a boating accident in South Carolina.

It happened in the town of Little River on the Intracoastal Waterway. The area is in Horry County, near North Myrtle Beach and the North Carolina border.

According to WPDE, the victim, Olivia Knighton, was the daughter of former MLS goalkeeper Brad Knighton. He is from Hickory, the station reports.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said another boat caused a large wake, forcing nine of the 12 people on Olivia’s boat to go overboard. The girl was hit by a propeller and died from her injuries.

An SCDNR spokesperson from York County said boats should not cause a wake that large.

“Number one, regardless of the laws on the lake, they’re responsible for their own wake,” Jeff Vissage said. “There are situations where somebody on the lake can be charged for producing wake.”

Olivia’s father tweeted Thursday about his daughter’s death, saying he and his family were still in shock.

“There are no words to express the depth of our profound grief and sorrow in this moment,” his statement began. “...We are all still in disbelief that her bright and pure light was taken away from us so suddenly. Somehow, we will get through this together as a family.”

Knighton now coaches the New England Revolution after he retired from the team earlier this year, WPDE reported. The team also shared a statement about Olivia’s death, sharing condolences with the Knighton family.

Brad Knighton went to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, WPDE reports.

SCDNR said it’s still talking with witnesses and examining the boat to figure out what happened.

When asked about boating rules on Lake Wylie, Vissage said boats have to stay at least 50 feet away from each other.

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