Smith Lake Accident: Flint Davis Charges, Deaths, and Lawsuits

The Smith Lake boat accident on April 16, 2025, killed three men and injured three others during a Major League Fishing tournament in Cullman County, Alabama, when professional angler Flint Davis struck a stationary charter boat at roughly 67 miles per hour. Davis, 22, of Leesburg, Georgia, was indicted on eight criminal counts in October 2025, including three counts of reckless manslaughter, and the families of the dead have filed wrongful death lawsuits that name Davis, the charter boat operator, and Major League Fishing.¹

What Happened on the Water

The crash occurred around 7 a.m. during the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational near the Miller Flats area of Lewis Smith Lake. Davis was running a Nitro bass boat west-northwest along the left side of a channel, between a hazard buoy and the shoreline, when he hit a center console vessel operated by Gary Holcomb, 51, of Cullman, who ran the Smith Lake Striper Guide Service.² The charter boat was carrying five men on a recreational fishing trip and was not moving at the time of impact.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Marine Patrol found Davis had traveled in a straight line at a consistent speed with an unobstructed view for at least a mile before the collision. Investigators concluded he “clearly did not see” the charter boat and attributed the crash to “operator inattention.”³ ALEA Marine Patrol Chief Matt Brooks said alcohol, weather, environmental conditions, and other vessel traffic were not factors.⁴

Who Was Killed and Injured

Three men aboard the charter boat died:

Holcomb and Luke H. Morgan, 30, of Albertville, survived with injuries and were transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Davis was taken to Cullman Regional Hospital.³

Criminal Charges Against Flint Davis

On October 2, 2025, a Cullman County grand jury returned an eight-count indictment:⁷

Three counts of reckless manslaughter for the deaths of Broom, Clark, and Little
Two counts of first-degree assault for the injuries to Morgan and Holcomb
Reckless operation of a vessel
Failure to follow boating rules of the road, specifically failure to maintain a proper lookout
Boating without a boater safety certificate

Under Alabama law, reckless manslaughter is a Class B felony carrying two to twenty years per count. ALEA investigators determined Davis did not hold a required boating license in Alabama or in Georgia, and officials said the crash could have been avoided had he completed a proper boater safety course.³ Davis was booked into the Cullman County Jail on a $115,000 bond.¹ District Attorney Champ Crocker released onboard camera footage from the moments before the collision at an October 3 news conference.⁸

Through attorney Tommy Spina, Davis expressed “deepest remorse and contrition” to the families. His defense said he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was not using a phone, and was not otherwise distracted, and that “he simply did not see the other boat until the moment of impact.” Spina also disputed the licensing finding, saying only Davis’s fishing license was expired and that “his boating license and all other certifications were current.”⁹ That assertion conflicts with the ALEA finding and the grand jury’s charge of boating without a safety certificate.

The Wrongful Death Lawsuits

The first civil suit was filed on May 23, 2025, in Cullman County Circuit Court by Dylan Broom on behalf of Joey Broom’s estate. It names Davis, Holcomb, Major League Fishing, and thirteen unnamed “fictitious defendants,” and brings seven counts, including negligence and wanton conduct against Davis and Holcomb, negligent event management and vicarious liability against MLF, and wrongful death against all defendants.¹⁰¹¹

A second wrongful death action was filed on September 5, 2025, by Lisa Little, Jeffrey Little’s wife. It adds MLF president Boyd Duckett personally as a defendant, alleging he was “responsible for organizing and supervising the fishing tournaments” and “maintained control over the tournament schedule, launch procedures, and participant conduct.” The complaint alleges violation of Alabama Code § 33-5-27(b), which requires tournament sponsors to provide “adequate protection from marine traffic interference and hazards.”¹²¹³

Both suits allege MLF created a culture encouraging dangerous speed, failed to adopt safety rules such as speed limits or license verification, and did not conduct proper pre-tournament safety briefings. Broom family attorney Hunter Garnett noted that Alabama’s rule prohibiting travel above idle speed within 100 feet of a shoreline contains an exemption for tournament participants, complicating potential statutory claims.¹⁴ Holcomb and Morgan, the two injured survivors, have also retained counsel.³

Major League Fishing has denied the allegations, calling the claims “false, inaccurate, and misleading” and saying, “We engaged in no wrongdoing in this accident, and are certain that the legal process will result in that conclusion.” MLF said responsibility for the crash “should essentially fall on the person operating the boat.”¹⁵

What the Crash Changed in Tournament Fishing

The crash prompted immediate reactions across competitive fishing. The Guntersville Open Bass Tournament disbanded as a club and canceled its annual events on Lake Guntersville. Auburn University’s bass fishing team canceled a scheduled tournament on Lake Jordan, citing the Smith Lake crash and liability concerns.¹⁶

The same Cullman County grand jury that indicted Davis issued safety recommendations calling on tournaments to require proof of boating safety licenses from all participants, provide safety education, and recognize that event sponsors owe a duty to non-tournament boaters sharing the water.¹⁷ State Representative Craig Lipscomb began discussions with ALEA about the tournament permitting process, including what size of event should trigger a permit. ALEA has required permits for marine events since 1994 and said late in 2025 that it had “not changed or revised its operating procedures with regard to the permitting of marine events.”¹⁸ No new legislation had been introduced as of December 2025.¹⁹

Where the Cases Stand

As of late 2025, the criminal case against Davis remained in the post-indictment stage, with no trial date or plea publicly reported. The civil suits were moving through discovery. Mike Andrews, attorney for the Little family, said the goal of the civil litigation is to reach trial and establish accountability for what the families see as systemic failures in tournament safety, not just one driver’s mistake on the water.⁹