Jury to decide today BUI or simple accident on Lake Winni...

[JupiterSunsation]

LACONIA – A Belknap County jury will have to decide whether Erica Blizzard is criminally responsible for killing her friend in a drunken-boating accident, or simply part of a horrible tragedy that shook the Lakes Region.

Blizzard, 38, of Laconia, is charged with negligent homicide. She also faces one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Blizzard's blood alcohol level was 1 1/2 times higher than the state's limit of .08, said James Carroll, Belknap County Attorney.


Blizzard
But James Moir, defense attorney, indicated Blizzard will take the stand and state she was not impaired. Others are expected to say the same thing.

The crash nearly killed Blizzard and killed one of her closest friends, Stephanie Beaudoin, 34, of Laconia. The crash also injured another friend, Nicole Shinopoulos of Burlington, Mass. Shinopoulos is expected to take the stand.

"There isn't a crime here. There was an accident, a tragic accident," Moir said.

An ardent opponent of Winnipesaukee speed limits, Blizzard was piloting a 2008 Formula 370 SS boat, which boasts two 425-horsepower engines.

Carroll said Marine Patrol officials will testify Blizzard's speed was "unreasonable for the conditions" the night of the crash, the prosecutor said.

In June 2008, the three women had gone out to dinner at Wolfetrap Grill and Raw Bar in Wolfeboro. They lingered over steamed mussels and salads and worked through a stack of photos from a recent trip they had taken together.

Wait staff and receipts indicate Blizzard had three Grey Goose vodka and sodas between 8:30 and 11:30 p.m. and showed no signs of impairment.

Blizzard picked up the tab and motored her friends to Governor's Island, where they annually pulled a Father's Day prank on Blizzard's father. This year, they posted Blizzard for Sheriff signs on the lawn.

They left to return to Shinopoulos' summer home on Sleeper Island, but the boat struck ledge off the western tip of Diamond Island.


Jurors yesterday viewed the boat involved in the fatal crash. (FILE)
Moir said Blizzard "knows the lake like the back of her hand," but the night's weather deteriorated, making it hard to see the island, which has no electricity.

Dr. Thomas Rock, a local orthopedic surgeon, was the first to approach the boat as it sank in 5 feet of water.

Rock told the jury the scene was wild. The only way to stop the hysterical cries of Shinopoulos was to get her to help him in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation of Beaudoin. There was no pulse or response.

He said Blizzard's condition was grave. She was losing blood "and needed to get somewhere fast." All the bones in her face were broken.

The 37-foot boat had been ripped from bow to stern, he said. The crash shook the island and woke Rock from a deep sleep.

Jurors began the trial with a view of the destroyed boat.

Blizzard, who has not seen the craft since that night, asked Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire if she could avoid attending the view. The judge agreed.

Winnipesaukee now has a speed limit of 25 mph at night and 45 mph during the day.

[stainless]

We were there that weekend, I can say for sure that the GPS signal was seriously inaccurate. Inaccurate enough that if one was relying on it for nighttime navigation, you could easily think you were in navigable water and wind up on land. Tragic.

[cowisl]

She is well thought of around the lake. Tragic accident.