Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia have been charged over an airboat accident that left one woman with a fractured skull and seven other people seriously injured.
The ship crashed near Sweets Lagoon in the Bynoe region of the Northern Territory, about 118 kilometers southwest of Darwin, on May 10, 2023.
Top End Safari Camp adventure company, along with Wright, along with his influential wife as directors, could be fined more than $5 million in total for the incident, after being charged by NT WorkSafe.
Airboats, which are flat-bottomed boats, are powered by huge fans instead of motors and glide across the surface of a body of water.
On the day of the accident, 17 months ago, there were 26 tourists on two airboats and half of those passengers were children.
One of the airboats called Gale Force hit a semi-submerged tree during the excursion with such force that all 13 passengers were thrown from their seats.
Matt and Kaia Wright were not aboard the boat, which was piloted by an employee.
NT WorkSafe alleged eight passengers were injured and one woman suffered a skull fracture and a serious scalp laceration. The nocturnal reported.
Two other women, with head and leg injuries, were airlifted to hospital.
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia (pictured) have been charged over an airboat accident that left one woman with a fractured skull and seven other people seriously injured.
The boat crashed near Sweets Lagoon in the Bynoe region of the Northern Territory on May 10, 2023. File image of an airboat tour of Top End Safari Camp
NT WorkSafe has accused Top End Safari Camp Pty Ltd of breaching the Health and Safety at Work (Uniform National Law) Act 2011.
The charges include breaching its primary duty of care by failing to ensure the health and safety of its workers or passengers.
The company also allegedly breached its primary duty of care by failing to ensure a work environment, failing to provide and maintain a safe vessel, and failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work.
He is also accused of failing to ensure that the airboat did not present risks to the health and safety of any person, as required by law.
Gale Force also allegedly operated without seat belts, life jackets, lifebuoy or first aid kit on board.
His radio was also supposedly not working on the day of the accident.
Both hydrofoils operating that day allegedly exceeded the maximum passenger limits they were allowed, NT WorkSafe alleged.
The company also allegedly failed to implement any risk assessments, risk registers or safety management plans for the airboat operations specified in its safety management system until after the accident.
If Top End Safari Camp is found guilty of all charges, it could be fined up to $4 million.
Matt Wright, his influencer wife Kaia (pictured) and their adventure company Top End Safari Camp could be fined more than $5 million for the incident.
Mr and Mrs Wright, the company’s two directors, have been charged with three breaches of the law and face combined penalties of up to $700,000 each.
They are accused of breaching their duty as officials and breaching their primary duty of care.
The charges are listed for mention in Darwin Local Court on December 5.
In addition to the couple’s tourism businesses, Ms. Wright is an influencer who regularly shares brand-sponsored content with her 120,000 Instagram followers.
The airboat accident is unrelated to a February 2022 helicopter crash that killed Wright’s Outback Wrangler co-star Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson.
Wilson, 34, was hanging from a helicopter to retrieve crocodile eggs in West Arnhem Land when the plane hit trees and crashed to the ground, killing him.
In 2023, Mr Wilson’s widow, Danielle, commenced proceedings in the Federal Court seeking compensation for personal injuries and for her husband’s loss of income.
Wright will face a trial on charges related to the helicopter crash investigation, starting July 7 next year, which is expected to last eight weeks.
The Netflix celebrity has pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice following the crash that killed Wilson.
The only charge relates to alleged behavior after the accident in which Mr Wright was allegedly one of the first to arrive at the scene.
Pilot Sebastian Robinson was also seriously injured.
The prosecution is expected to call 125 witnesses.
