‘Exceptional’ student, 24, killed after ‘drunk’ boat driver ‘crashed stolen vessel into pier after night out’

AN “exceptional” student athlete was killed after a man accused of drunkenly joyriding a boat slammed into a Boston pier. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, 24, died after Lawrence Shieh crashed the stolen vessel while he was drunk and dancing without his hands on the wheel, prosecutors said. Lizzie Dankert, 24, was killed after a boat crashed into a Boston pier Credit: Facebook/@Lizzie Dankert Lawrence Shieh is accused of driving the boat while drunk Credit: CBS Boston Two of Lizzie’s friends were also injured in the horror smash. Shieh, 40, has now been indicted on a string of charges including involuntary manslaughter, operating a boat while intoxicated causing death and using a boat without authority. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! His blood alcohol was allegedly more than twice the legal limit after a night of bar-hopping when he crashed the boat. District Attorney Kevin Hayden said: “That night, Lawrence Shieh drank a mix of alcoholic beverages at the ReelHouse with friends and several other bars in the Seaport. “Blood testing after the crash recorded his blood-alcohol at .20, or more than twice the .08 legal limit here in Massachusetts.” He added that fatal crash also happened at a pier close to Logan International Airport, resulting in an additional charge of an airport security violation. Hayden also said that Shieh was not concentrating on driving at the time. Referring to a mobile phone footage, he said: “Approximately six seconds before the crash, Shieh is captured on video with both hands off the wheel of the boat.” Most read in The Sun The boat crashed into a pier near Logan International Airport Credit: Facebook/ @Boston EMS ‘Exceptional’ student Lizzie worked at software company in Boston Credit: Linkedin Investigators said the boat entered an area where they were prohibited when it smashed into the pier near the airport runway. Hayden said the boat was travelling at around 36mph at the time, which he described as “dangerously excessive speed for the area.” He added: “He was intoxicated. He unlawfully took a boat out into Boston Harbor in the dead of night.” Lizzie had been out with friends in Boston’s Seaport District on May 13 when they boarded the Freedom Boat Club’s vessel without permission. The club told WCVB at the time: “The vessel involved was taken without authorization and operated outside the knowledge and control of the Club, well after the Club had closed for the day.” Lizzie was a talented student and soccer player who graduated from Union College, a small liberal arts university, in 2024. She then got a job as a Federal Aerospace and Defense Representative at a Boston software company. Union College spokesman Phillip Wajda told Boston 25: “Lizzie was an exceptional student-athlete who had a tremendous impact during her four years at Union College. “Her passing is a profound loss for our campus community. “We offer our condolences to Lizzie’s family, classmates, teammates, and all those who were lucky to know this terrific young woman.” Comment now