Neighbors in the area of a deadly Lake Austin accident Oct. 11 said that the construction of a boat dock across the lake has made the area dangerous for boaters.
The accident took the lives of Shawn Hurwitz and Jennifer Walley.
"I did think it was bound to happen," said homeowner Erin McClusky. "It is very narrow and a lot of boats have trouble passing each other and then when you have jet skis going as well, they go really close to the docks sometimes. It can be really dangerous."
City documents showed the permit for building the boat dock was approved in April. Other neighbors said they’ve been fighting the boat dock since last year, but said their safety and environmental concerns fell on deaf ears.
"There's a restrictive covenant that said you couldn't build a boat dock there and the city went ahead and let them," said Tom Price, who lives off Lake Austin. “The restrictive covenant was required by the city in 1980 when they issued the subdivision class for Rob Roy. We never understood why the city let them build a boat dock there because there's a restricted covenant."
KVUE asked the City of Austin why that restrictive covenant was lifted for the construction of the dock. The city said it is reviewing the history of the case and will get back to us within 48 hours.
Austin police said while they enforce no wake zones in designated swimming areas and coves on Lake Austin; they cannot enforce Lower Colorado River Authority’s rule of ‘no wake’ regulations within 50 feet of a shoreline or a structure because it’s not a city ordinance.
The investigation into what happened during last weekend’s deadly accident continues as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has joined the investigation.
The property owner who is building the boat dock and general contractor building it have not returned KVUE's calls.
