The family of a victim of a deadly boat crash during a bass fishing tournament has filed a wrongful death suit against Major League Fishing and the pilot of the boat.
In April, three people died when a boat collided with another vessel on Smith Lake in Cullman County, during an event that was part of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals tournament series.
In a complaint filed Friday in Cullman County, the family of one of the men killed said that Major League Fishing was negligent and should not have allowed high-speed boats to operate in foggy, crowded conditions.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Association said at the time that a Nitro bass boat had hit a center console boat, and that three people aboard the latter were pronounced dead on the scene: Joe M. Broom, 58, of Altoona; John K. Clark, 44, of Cullman; and Jeffrey C. Little, 62, or Mississippi.
Broom was a grandfather and served on the town council of Snead.
"No one ever had a bad thing to say about him," Mayor Tim Kent told media after his death. "He always put the Town of Snead and its people first. They are deeply saddened and shocked. He will be missed."
Broom's estate filed the lawsuit against Major League Fishing, LLC, the operator of the tournament; Flint Davis, a Georgia man who was operating the Nitro bass boat; and Gary Holcombe, who the complaint said was the owner-operator of the center console boat.
Broadly, the suit alleges that Major League Fishing failed to exercise reasonable care as the tour's second day opened: "By organizing and incentivizing high-speed boat operation in foggy, congested conditions on a public waterway shared with recreational and guided fishing vessels, MLF created a foreseeable risk of serious injury or death," it alleges. "In the early morning hours of April 16, 2025, dense fog, mist or clouds covered parts of Lewis Smith Lake. MLF nonetheless commenced the day's launch without delay, limitations, speed limits or public safety warnings."
The suit alleges that at the start of the day, "Tournament anglers launched at the scheduled start time, with many, including Davis, traveling at excessive and unsafe speeds." It claims that Davis and Holcombe didn't take enough care while they were in high-traffic areas with low visibility.
Holcombe, Flint and at least one other person were treated at hospitals for injuries suffered in the crash.
As of Sunday, court records indicated that Major League Fishing, Davis and Holcombe had not yet filed responses in court.
After the crash, Major League Fishing Executive Vice President and General Manager Kathy Fennel said the incident was "a heartbreaking moment for our entire organization" and that "our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of those affected by this tragedy."
The organization also canceled the remainder of the tournament.
The suit seeks rulings on a range of counts including negligence and wrongful death.
Rules for the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include a clause that prohibits "boat operation in an unsafe or unsportsmanlike manner." The rules also require that "safe boating must be observed at all times," and say that the tournament director is empowered to shorten, postpone of cancel events due to unsafe weather or water conditions.
Tournament rules also specify that participating boats must carry insurance, as well as a camera providing a view of the boat's front deck that tournament officials can monitor throughout the day.
Whether the camera aboard Davis' boat was recovered and whether it can provide footage of the crash has not been revealed.