BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Every morning when they get dressed, Jillian Bernard and Hunter Caballero are reminded of what happened on July 28, 2024. Last summer, Bernard and Caballero were two of five people who were injured in a boating collision on the Tickfaw River. Two people were killed: 31-year-old Thuy Gustin, who was Bernards’ best friend, and 34-year-old Chase Sharkey, who was the driver of the other boat involved.
Jason Chaisson was driving the boat and was arrested on two counts of negligent homicide. On August 1, 2025, Chaisson was sentenced to two years in prison. According to the investigation, both boat drivers were intoxicated, but this was Chaisson’s second DWI offense. The couple says they thought they were friends with Chaisson until the crash happened.
“He never once reached out. Never once checked on us, not a phone call, e-mail, letter, text message. Nothing. He never reached out to us or anybody on the other boat to check on us or anything,” Caballero says.
After countless doctors’ appointments and five surgeries, Bernard is still in pain every day. So much so, she is considering a leg amputation. The couple says they’ve already racked up over a million dollars in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Caballero and Bernard believe the sentencing was too light, emphasizing how the emotional and physical pain has continued…