An unbearable loss

Thank you for publishing the article about the boating death of eight-year-old Charlotte McCue on Lake George in late July. This was a personal tragedy for our family as her parents and grandparents, the McCue and Knarr families, have been our family’s friends for many, many years. We are still heartsick over Charlotte’s senseless death.

At Charlotte’s memorial service on the shore of Lake George I was struck by the number of boats and personal watercraft operating on the lake during the service. I don’t know how there aren’t many more accidents.

People may say that this was just an unfortunate accident after a long-standing yearly party attended by young people. But the people in the speeding motorboat who struck the Knarr boat, flew over it, and then left the scene of an accident were all adults—chronologically at least. One can question their intentions, actions, and judgment in a court of law, but Charlotte is gone and a family is painfully learning to cope with the unimaginable.

Joan Grabe, Saranac Lake