Jerod MacDonald-Evoy

The Republic | azcentral.com

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested a man they believe is responsible for a boating accident at Lake Pleasant Thursday night that sent one man to the hospital in critical condition, officials said.

Initial reports stated that a 46-year-old man was injured after a boat fell on top of him while attempting to launch into Lake Pleasant.

A Sheriff's Office investigation determined that Sean J. Ceschia, 45, was driving the boat while the man was attempting to guide it out of the lake and onto a trailer attached to a pickup truck, according to Officer Courtney Palma, a sheriff's spokeswoman.

Ceschia hit the gas on the boat, causing it to launch out of the water and hit the back of the truck before landing on the man, pinning him and causing serious injuries, Palma said.

Impairment was believed to be a factor.

The injured man was still in critical condition Friday morning and was awaiting surgery, Palma said. Additional details on his condition were not readily available.

When the man was flown to a hospital late Thursday evening, the Peoria Fire-Medical Department said he had "potentially life-threatening injuries."

Ceschia was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of two counts of aggravated DUI in a watercraft, two counts of endangerment and one count of aggravated assault, Palma said.

Sean Ceschia's last name was misspelled in earlier versions of this story.