Man charged over deadly River Murray boat crash which killed father-of-three Chad Gill

A Williamstown man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving over his alleged involvement in a deadly River Murray boat crash which killed a young father and left another man with serious injuries.

The Murray River at Big Bend, between Swan Reach and Nildottie.

A MAN has been arrested after a boat crash which killed a young father and left another man with serious injuries.

Chad Gill, 37, of Gawler South, died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Saturday night, 24 hours after he was involved in a crash on the river near Swan Reach. The father-of-three was thrown from a four-metre aluminium boat when it collided with another vessel about 10pm on Friday.

The boat was found floating upside down 10km upstream from Swan Reach.

A 40-year-old Gawler East man who was also on the boat was flown to the RAH where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

Mr Gill and the other man had been camping on the side of the river with friends before the crash.

Following an investigation by Murray Bridge detectives a 39-year-old Williamstown man was arrested for his role in the crash.

He was charged with causing death and causing harm by dangerous driving as well as perverting the course of justice.
He was refused bail and will face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.

Chad Gill was killed in a boating accident, and has been remembered as a “great dad” and “forever friend”.

On Sunday, Mr Gill’s family rallied around his wife and children as they struggled to comprehend the tragedy.

Comedian Amos Gill said his cousin was a “great dad, who loved his family and brought joy into everything he did.” “He was someone I looked up to as a kid and I’m going to miss him dearly,” Mr Gill said.

“He was one of those family members who glued us all together.”

One friend described Chad Gill as a “forever friend” in an emotional social media post.

“Like many others my heart is shattered to think I will never see Chad’s beautiful face again,” the woman said.

Police initially believed no other vessel had been involved in the crash but after investigating the incident on Saturday they discovered a second boat was involved.

Rescue efforts at the scene after two boats collided during a ski-racing event at Robe. Picture: Twitter/7 News Adelaide

Two other men remain in hospital after a crash during a ski-racing event at Robe on Saturday. Two boats crashed at high speed at 2.10pm leaving the driver, 30, and the observer, 26, both from Sydney, with life threatening injuries after their boat became airborne. The two men were flown to hospital in Adelaide where one remains in a critical condition. The other has been declared serious but stable.