Film Spotlights Drunk Boat Drivers

Arizona Tackling Alcohol Problem With Docu-Drama

(CBS)  And so he is taking the unusual step of producing a docu-drama called, "Operating Under The Influence." A scene shows a little girl pulled from water and put into body bag. The girl is not a victim, but an actress.

In this re-enactment, defense attorney Leslie Lemense plays her mom and in the docu-drama, she addresses the court with the following words: "She was 10 years old when she died. I know what they said that this was a tragic accident. This is not an accident. He made this decision. He operated that boat, knowing full well he was drunk."

To Kauffman, she says, "Over the course of nine years of practicing criminal law, I have seen and heard victims in that very position, making those statements to the court, and unfortunately for them, it was real life."

Judge Anderson wanted those who witness the tragedy of drunk-boaters - attorneys, judges, and even a medical examiner - to play roles in his video.

Medical Examiner Rebecca Shu says, "I've seen people have amputation of limbs and subsequently bled to death before they had time to drown, so it's truly, truly devastating."

Who are the people who are boating and drinking?

"Everybody from all walks of life," says Lemense. "I mean, you do have the people that you would stereotypically think, the younger generation, teenagers or early twenty-somethings. But you also have people who are schoolteachers, stay-at-home moms, engineers, lawyers, doctors."

While there's no speed limit on a lake, there is a blood alcohol limit: .08, the same as being legally drunk on the road.

"People don't understand that," says Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "Whether you're on a boat or driving your vehicle, it's the same law. You're going to jail."

Arizona has stepped up the number of patrol boats. Last year alone, 254 accidents were reported. And there were 438 arrests for operating under the influence.

With his video, Judge Anderson says the message he wants to send is that it can happen to you.

"It can happen to anybody," he explains. "Bad things happen to good people when they make a bad choice and get behind the wheel of a boat intoxicated."

And that bad choice, as his video shows, can result in more than 20 years behind bars.

"I was told the doctors couldn't help her," says Lindbergh of her friend. "They tried everything. If I could give my life to bring her back, I would."

Judge Anderson says, "One moment of being intoxicated behind the wheel of a boat, and something happens, where you didn't see somebody in the water, and you kill them. Your family is going to be destroyed. The family of the victim is going to be destroyed. The ripple effect is just as dramatic on the water as it is on the highways.

The judge's video will be shown to every drunk-boater convicted in Arizona.

Anderson is hoping his video will be a wake up call for those cited for operating under to influence.