A Mobile woman is dead and multiple others injured after a collision between two boats in Wolf Bay on Saturday night, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Kristin DeLaney, 46, of Mobile, was a passenger in a 2025 Albury Brothers vessel that collided with another boat at about 8:10 p.m. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
What troopers say happened
ALEA said DeLaney was one of eight passengers aboard the Albury Brothers boat when it collided with a 2013 Key West boat driven by Cameron Neil, 32, of Louisiana. Neil’s vessel carried seven other passengers in addition to him, and all of them were taken to a hospital for treatment after the crash.
Three passengers on the Key West boat — Talyn Faulkner, 25, of Raceland, Louisiana; John Lyle, 28, of Houma, Louisiana; and Rayford Reeves, 34, of Schriever, Louisiana — were injured and transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for medical treatment, ALEA said in a press release.
Another passenger on the Albury Brothers boat, Brooks DeLaney, 51, of Fairhope, was also taken to a hospital after the crash.
Investigation continues
ALEA spokesperson Jeremy Burkett said the incident remains under investigation and that no other information is being released at this time. Investigators have not said what caused the two vessels to collide, whether alcohol is a factor, or how fast the boats were traveling on the bay.
Wolf Bay, which straddles the Baldwin County shoreline between Orange Beach and Elberta, is a popular destination for pleasure boaters, particularly on summer weekend evenings when traffic on the water can be heavy. The crash adds to a series of fatal boating accidents along the Alabama Gulf Coast in recent years, a pattern that has prompted calls for stronger boater education and enforcement.
Under Alabama law, operators involved in boating accidents resulting in death or serious injury are required to remain on scene and render aid, and ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division investigates such crashes much as the Highway Patrol investigates fatal traffic collisions. Findings, including any charges, typically come only after a full reconstruction.
Authorities urged boaters to wear life jackets, maintain a proper lookout after dark, and slow down in congested areas as the summer boating season continues.