The driver of a boat authorities say caused a fatal crash earlier this year has been indicted by a grand jury in Effingham County.
Around 5:45 p.m. on May 3, 2026, two boats, each with two people on board, collided near the Tuckasee King boat landing on the Savannah River. 25-year-old William Ligon III was killed, one person was transported to a local hospital, and two others were treated on scene and released.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources began investigating the collision and last week, the case was presented to a grand jury in Effingham County after the investigation determined Irvin Toro Silva was at fault.
According to the indictment, Silva is charged with four offenses:
- Homicide by Vessel in the 1st degree – causing the death of William Ligon while recklessly operating a vessel.
- Reckless Operation of a Vessel – operating a 2002 Checkmate open motorboat in a reckless manner in reckless disregard of the safety of persons and property by operating the vessel at a high rate of speeding, failing to give way to an approaching vessel, and crossing into the path of the approaching vessel, causing a collision.
- Serious Injury by Vessel – causing serious bodily harm to a second person in the boat with Ligon
- Violation of Rules of the Road for Boat Traffic – operating a boat on the Savannah River, an inland waterway, and failing to conform to the Steering and Sailing Rules established by Subpart II, Rules 11 through 18, of the Inland Navigation Rules Act of 1980, by failing, as the give-way vessel, to keep out of the way of the stand-on vessel and crossing into the path of said vessel.
Homicide by Vessel in the 1st degree is a felony offense that carries a sentence of 3-15 years.
Serious Injury by Vessel is a felony that carries a sentence of 1-5 years.
The other two charges are misdemeanor offenses with a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
According to court records, a grand jury bench warrant was issued for Silva on October 6. As of October 13, Silva had not been booked into the Effingham County Jail.
The crash initially garnered significant attention because Ligon was the son of former state Senator William Ligon II.
