Carlen Hailey, a 23-year-old Senior Airman stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, drowned in Lake Wateree on June 18 after he entered roughly 25 feet of water from a pontoon boat, experienced distress and never resurfaced. More than four months later, his family has filed a $50 million claim against the U.S. government, alleging a cascade of failures aboard the boat that night, from an expired registration to an untrained, allegedly drinking operator.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources divers recovered Hailey's body in about 25 feet of water in Fairfield County, according to ABC News 4, which reported that an autopsy determined his death was an accidental drowning. The pontoon boat belonged to the U.S. Air Force's recreation program at Shaw Air Force Base, according to the family's claim cited by WACH Fox News.
At least 11 people were aboard the boat at the time, including Hailey, fellow squadron members and the operator, who attorney Tyler Bailey says was the only civilian on board. The family's filing alleges the boat's registration had been expired for more than 18 months, and WIS-TV reports the filing further states that nothing in the investigative record documents that the operator completed the boater safety course required by Shaw Air Force Base.
Allegations of Drinking and a Boat That Moved Toward Him
The family's claim also alleges the boat operator admitted to drinking alcohol on the day of the drowning, per the filing detailed by WIS-TV. The same outlet's earlier reporting noted that the family had already raised questions about the boat's registration, operator training and alcohol use when it hired Bailey in September to conduct an independent investigation.
Bailey has said reports he's reviewed indicate the boat's captain drove the vessel toward Hailey, and that Hailey went underneath it, according to WACH Fox News. Bailey said he believes Hailey may have been run over by the boat. Life jackets were thrown into the water, the attorney said, but he could not confirm whether anyone jumped in to try to rescue Hailey.
A Family's Push to Change Military Swim Standards
Hailey's mother, Cecillia Hailey, said she wants all U.S. servicemen and women to be able to swim and perform rescues, telling WACH Fox News that her son did not know how to swim. The family is calling for military requirements around swimming and rescue training to change. Swimming is not a general requirement for the U.S. Air Force's basic military training, the station reported.
Bailey said the family sought an independent investigation after learning Hailey could not swim and questioning why he entered the lake at all. Hailey's sister, Chekarey Hailey, said her brother was failed — because people did not know how to swim, because there was no accountability, and by his country. She and her family wore “Long Live Carlen” shirts outside the Matthew J. Perry courthouse in Columbia.
The $50 Million Claim and What Comes Next
The family filed the $50 million claim against the federal government over its alleged connection to the airman's drowning. Bailey said the filing starts a six-month waiting period for a government response, and that he plans to bring the case before a jury if the government does not respond. A Department of the Air Force spokesperson said it does not comment publicly on pending administrative claims or ongoing legal matters, and confirmed that an internal Air Force investigation into Senior Airman Hailey's drowning is ongoing.
The Department of the Air Force notes on its safety website that the service suffers a few drownings nearly every year, with incidents occurring in rivers, lakes, oceans and pools. For the Hailey family, that broader pattern is beside the point — they say the specific failures aboard one boat on Lake Wateree in June are what deserve answers, and so far, those answers haven't come.
