Skipper of high-speed Horizontal Falls boat crash pleads guilty
A skipper who was in charge of a boat that crashed at Horizontal Falls, seriously injuring 12 people who were on board, has pleaded guilty to the charges on the same day he was due to stand trial.
Edward Whisson was the master of Falls Express, a tour boat that had 25 passengers on board in May 2022 when it collided with rocks.
People with serious injuries were taken to hospital.Credit: Nine News Perth
It had allegedly been operating at high speeds through a narrow 7.5-metre gap.
Charges were also laid against Journey Beyond Adventures, trading as Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, which indicated pleas of guilty on Monday in Perth Magistrates Court.
The matter was set down for trial Monday morning but lawyers for both parties indicated they would plead guilty instead. They will be sentenced in January.
The court also heard victims of the crash wanted to provide impact statements ahead of the hearing.
The incident required a resource-heavy rescue mission that included six aircraft, six doctors and six flight nurses.
Emergency calls were made about 7.15am and the first medical assistance was on the scene by 8.30am.
Four jets from the Royal Flying Doctor Service flew patients down to Perth, with seven women and five men aged between 46 and 70 needing to go to Royal Perth Hospital for specialist care.
