Victims weren't wearing life jackets in Lake Tahoe boating tragedy, NTSB says
RENO, NV — None of the eight people who died last month after a 28-foot power boat capsized on Lake Tahoe during a sudden storm were wearing life vests, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report.
Ten people, including the boat's operator, were on board a privately owned Chris-Craft vessel on June 21 when a sudden storm hit, bringing high winds, 8- to 10-foot waves, and marble-sized hail, according to the National Transportation Safety Board report released on July 23. As weather conditions worsened, the boat became inundated with water and overturned.
Weather conditions in the area were mostly calm with clear skies and light winds when the boat left shortly before 12 p.m. local time on June 21, according to the NTSB. The report noted that although the local forecast showed a slight chance of thunderstorms, there were no marine warnings or small craft advisories issued for the area on that day.
But about two hours after the boat went out to Emerald Bay on the western side of the lake, the NTSB said the winds, rain, and waves increased, with whitecaps captured on time-lapse footage at around 2:36 p.m. local time. Hail collected in the vessel, and waves began to break over the sides as the operator attempted to return to the marina.
"The boat took on water and some of the passengers attempted to bail the water out of the boat," the report states. "At one point, a particularly large wave overtook the boat."
All 10 on board were thrown into the water, and only two — a mother and daughter — were rescued. The bodies of six victims were recovered that day and dive teams found two victims submerged 300 feet under the surface on June 22 and 23, the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the Paste BN Network, previously reported.
The NTSB said its investigation into the accident remains ongoing, but no timeline was provided for when a final report would be complete. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is conducting its investigation.
None of the victims killed in the boat accident were wearing life vests
One of the passengers put on a life vest and started handing them out to the other nine passengers, according to the report. She was the only passenger wearing a life vest when the boat overturned, while the second survivor was clinging to a personal flotation device when she was rescued.
"No one else immediately donned their (personal flotation device). Shortly after, the boat rolled over to starboard, and the passengers entered the water," the report states. "The survivor recalled that it started snowing after the boat rolled over while the people were in the water. No distress calls were made from the boat."
At around 2:57 p.m. local time, hikers on shore witnessed the vessel capsize after a "large wave washed over it," the report added. About a minute later, one of the hikers called 911 to report the accident.
Multiple emergency agencies responded to the scene and recovered eight people, including the two survivors, according to the report. The two survivors were transported to a hospital for medical treatment.
Six people, including the boat operator, were pronounced dead at the scene. The report noted that none of the six were wearing life vests. The two other victims were recovered from the lake bottom near the casualty site the next day.
Authorities recovered four life vests and one life preserver ring, which were all from the vessel, from the accident site, according to the report.
NTSB report 'confirms the deep tragedy of this accident'
The two survivors who were rescued from the water were identified as Amy Friduss and her mother, Julie Lindsay. Friduss' father and Lindsay's husband, Stephen, 63, of Springwater, New York, was among those killed.
Family spokesperson Sam Springer said they are extended family members of the boat's owner, DoorDash executive Joshua Pickles, and his parents, Terry Pickles and Paula Bozinovich, who all died. Joshua Pickles' uncle, Peter Bayes, and family friends were also killed in the incident.
Singer, who is also a spokesperson for Pickles' widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, shared a statement after the NTSB's preliminary report was released.
“The report confirms the deep tragedy of this accident which claimed the lives of Josh Pickles, his father, mother, uncle and friends," the statement reads. "Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard is profoundly thankful for the rescue efforts made by so many first responders and good Samaritans in the tragic situation."
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Paste BN