NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI/AP) — Records show a sailboat crashed into a bridge in Rhode Island, and a man aboard named William Shakespeare didn’t realize his wife fell into the water until hours after she was rescued.
According to the police report from the incident, the crash happened in Newport on Aug. 17 after the couple went to watch their son compete in a sailboat race.
The state Department of Environmental Management says the Shakespeares’ boat hit the Newport Bridge around 4 p.m.
Delyse Shakespeare told authorities she fell off and swam to shore for help. Her husband says he saw she wasn’t in the cabin around 1:30 a.m. after he drove the boat to their slip.
The couple faces multiple charges including failing to avoid a collision.
The Shakespeares told authorities alcohol was a factor in the crash.
