SectionsStudent drowns after paddle boat accident on fraternity retreat
Brandei Harris
Issue date: 2/7/01 Section: News
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Alcohol is believed to have played a role in the weekend drowning of an SMS student after he and two other fraternity members took a paddle boat without permission from a storage shed, according to the Taney County Sheriff's Office.
Steven Bengfort, 21, an SMS marketing major, died early Sunday morning after the paddleboat carrying Bengfort and two other members of the Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity overturned around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Toxicology reports should be available in about two weeks, according to Detective David Rozell.
"The labs don't get in a rush on that type of thing," Rozell said. "but the amount of alcohol found at the scene leads me to believe that it played a large part."
Bengfort was on a weekend retreat at Vickery Resort in Branson on Table Rock Lake with his fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi when the accident occurred.
According to Rozell, the three of them took the boat out where it soon over turned.
"Two of the boys swam safely to shore thinking Bengfort was following," Rozell said. "But he never made it."
The body was recovered in 15 feet of water at 4:45 a.m. Sunday by the Missouri State Water Patrol and was taken to Skaggs Community Health Center in Branson where he was pronounced dead.
Junior Tasha Kerns said she is still trying to get used to not having Bengfort sitting next to her in class.
"He always made me laugh," Kerns said. "Hopefully his loss will make others more cautious about their actions."
Bengfort was an intern at Clear Channel Communications in Springfield and had been instrumental in many promotions with channel U.S. 97 including Blanket the Ozarks which gathered over 2000 blankets for the Salvation Army.
Clear Channel will honor Bengfort with a moment of air silence on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Senior marketing major Reagan Tipton said tragic stories like this are all too familiar, bad things happening to good people.
"Even though we're in college having the time of our life, there's one thing to remember," Tipton said. "We're not invincible. He was a good guy who never looked for trouble."
Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center at 3950 West Clay in St. Charles, Mo. For information, call (636) 946-7811
Funeral services will be Friday at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Cottleville, Mo., right outside Bengfort's home town of St. Charles.
Steven Bengfort, 21, an SMS marketing major, died early Sunday morning after the paddleboat carrying Bengfort and two other members of the Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity overturned around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Toxicology reports should be available in about two weeks, according to Detective David Rozell.
"The labs don't get in a rush on that type of thing," Rozell said. "but the amount of alcohol found at the scene leads me to believe that it played a large part."
Bengfort was on a weekend retreat at Vickery Resort in Branson on Table Rock Lake with his fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi when the accident occurred.
According to Rozell, the three of them took the boat out where it soon over turned.
"Two of the boys swam safely to shore thinking Bengfort was following," Rozell said. "But he never made it."
The body was recovered in 15 feet of water at 4:45 a.m. Sunday by the Missouri State Water Patrol and was taken to Skaggs Community Health Center in Branson where he was pronounced dead.
Junior Tasha Kerns said she is still trying to get used to not having Bengfort sitting next to her in class.
"He always made me laugh," Kerns said. "Hopefully his loss will make others more cautious about their actions."
Bengfort was an intern at Clear Channel Communications in Springfield and had been instrumental in many promotions with channel U.S. 97 including Blanket the Ozarks which gathered over 2000 blankets for the Salvation Army.
Clear Channel will honor Bengfort with a moment of air silence on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Senior marketing major Reagan Tipton said tragic stories like this are all too familiar, bad things happening to good people.
"Even though we're in college having the time of our life, there's one thing to remember," Tipton said. "We're not invincible. He was a good guy who never looked for trouble."
Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center at 3950 West Clay in St. Charles, Mo. For information, call (636) 946-7811
Funeral services will be Friday at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Cottleville, Mo., right outside Bengfort's home town of St. Charles.