A 40-year-old East Lake man is dead and a woman was injured after their boat collided with another vessel on Lake Buchanan Monday night, near Garret Island in Burnet County. Dillard Drake was found dead at the scene, while his female passenger was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Texas Game Wardens were notified of the crash at about 9:45 p.m. Monday, according to KEYE. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said the cause of the collision remains unknown and is under investigation, and the agency has extended condolences to Drake's family and friends.
Medical personnel told TPWD that the injured woman was doing better as of 9:15 a.m. Tuesday and is now expected to survive, after initially being listed in critical condition. The station's report does not identify her or detail the nature of her injuries.
Multi-Agency Response Converged on the Water
The response to the crash drew help from several agencies working the water in the dark. Local volunteer fire departments, Lower Colorado River Authority rangers, the Burnet County Sheriff's Office and Star Flight all assisted, and TPWD publicly thanked each of them for their work that night.
The Texas Game Warden Boat Accident Reconstruction Team, a specialized unit, is now handling the investigation into exactly what happened. Under Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Section 31.104, any operator involved in a crash is required to stop and render aid, and failing to do so in a case involving death or serious injury is a felony; separately, state law under Section 31.105 requires operators to file an official accident report within 30 days when a collision results in death or serious injury.
Nighttime Navigation Rules Likely to Draw Scrutiny
Investigators examining collisions like this one typically look at vessel speed, operator sobriety and compliance with navigation lighting rules, especially given the late hour of the crash. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Section 31.064 requires motorboats operating on public waters between sunset and sunrise to display Coast Guard-approved navigation lights, including red and green sidelights and a white light visible for at least two miles.
Garret Island sits within Burnet County on Lake Buchanan, the largest reservoir in the Central Texas Highland Lakes chain. The lake stretches up to 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, with depths reaching 132 feet near the Buchanan Dam, according to 101 Highland Lakes, and it is managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority.
A Lake With a Recent History of Fatal Incidents
This is not the first fatal water incident on Lake Buchanan this year. In June, 55-year-old Jay Staats was found dead near Shaw Island following a multi-agency search after he was supposed to meet his wife at Shaw Island, as DailyTrib.com reported at the time.
During the 2025 Labor Day weekend, Texas Game Wardens statewide responded to seven boating incidents and two boating-related fatalities, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Statewide in 2025, Texas recorded recreational boating incidents, including some involving deaths and serious injuries.
Life-jacket use and alcohol are among the issues discussed in boating safety coverage. Past fatal collisions on the lake have also been investigated.
