By Kathy Chaffin

kchaffin@salisburypost.com

A man, woman and two small children escaped injury Sunday night when their boat was reportedly struck by another boat on High Rock Lake near the Tamarac Marina.

After the collision, the boat holding the four started to sink, according to Sgt. Tony Sharum of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. But passing boater picked them up, and none of the four was injured.

"When the officer arrived on the scene," Sharum said, "the boat was partially submerged." The man and woman provided a description of the boat that struck them, but investigating officers were unable to find it.

The names of the four were not available Monday.

"There were no independent witnesses of the collision," he said. "We do know that there was some damage to the rear portion of the boat, and it did sink."

While searching the lake, Sharum said, officers arrested a man for driving while impaired in a boat vaguely resembling the suspect boat.

"At this time, we do not believe he was involved in the collision," he said. "He just seemed to happen upon the scene and had been drinking."

Sharum said the boater, whose name was also unavailable, had been charged a month ago with the same offense in the same location.

Wildlife officers were assisted in the investigation and boat recovery by the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, Rowan Rescue Squad and the Liberty and Gold Hill fire departments.

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