For years, Marie Barton has tried to turn the worst day of her life into a warning for everyone else on the water. As Maryland heads into one of its busiest boating weekends, she is once again urging boaters to stay sober. More than four years after her son Nick was killed when a boat struck a channel piling on the West River, Barton and her husband have pushed for tougher rules for impaired operators. Her message to anyone grabbing the wheel is blunt: you are responsible for every life on board.
Nick's Law And A New Enforcement Tool
Nick's Law, the 2024 bill that bears her son's name, expanded the periods courts can prohibit convicted impaired operators from boating and directed the state to build and maintain a database of people barred from operating vessels, according to the Maryland General Assembly. The measure took effect July 1, 2024, and gives judges the power to bar someone for up to five years when a BUI results in death.
The West River Crash And Criminal Outcome
On June 4, 2022, a center-console boat hit a channel piling near Parrish Creek on the West River, throwing six people into the water and killing 21‑year‑old lacrosse player Nick Barton. The boat's operator, Shayne Kenneth Smith, pleaded guilty to negligent manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended and five years of supervised probation, as reported by The BayNet.
How The Database And Checks Work
Barton says she worked with lawmakers, including Sen. Dawn Gile's office, to write the law and keep dangerous operators off the water. Department of Natural Resources Captain Ben Lillard said the system lets officers verify whether a skipper is prohibited from operating a vessel, much like a standard license check, per reporting by WMAR-2 News.
DNR Ramps Up Holiday Enforcement
The Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Police plan increased patrols for the July Fourth weekend and will participate in the national Operation Dry Water effort, using saturation patrols in known trouble spots to remove impaired operators, according to CBS Baltimore. Officials have repeatedly warned that alcohol and drugs are leading contributors to fatal boating accidents, especially on busy holiday weekends.
Legal Implications
Nick's Law requires courts to provide offender data to the DNR so suspensions are enforceable on the water and extends the maximum suspension period for BUI-related offenses. The bill's text and legislative history are available from the Maryland General Assembly. Advocates and prosecutors say the change fills a long-standing enforcement gap where judges could order a ban, but there was no statewide way for patrol officers to know.
Barton says her goal is simple: keep other families from suffering what hers did. "You are the captain of that vessel and responsible for every life on board," she told reporters. WMAR-2 News reports her plea is both personal and practical: sober skippers save lives.
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