RENO, Nevada — All eight people who died last month were wearing life vests after a 28-foot powerboat capsized on Lake Tahoe during a sudden storm, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report.
Ten people, including boat operators, were on board, with a sudden storm struck on June 21, and a sudden storm hit on July 23, resulting in a wave of 8-10 feet and a marble-sized h.
According to the NTSB, weather conditions in the area were almost calm with clear skies and light breezes when the boat departed just before local time on June 21. The report noted that local forecasts showed slight thunderstorms, but that no Marine Corps warnings or small craft recommendations were issued that day.
However, about two hours after the boat left Emerald Bay on the west side of the lake, NTSB said wind, rain and waves increased, and the White Cap was shot in time-lapse footage around 2:36pm local time. The ails were collected in the container and as the operator tried to return to the marina, the waves began to break the sides.
“The boat was covered in water and some of the passengers tried to save the water from the boat,” the report said. “At one point, a particularly big wave overtaked the boat.”
All 10 people on board were thrown into the water, and two (mother and daughter) were rescued. The bodies of six victims were recovered that day, and the dive team discovered 300 feet of the victim had been sunk below the surface on June 22 and 23.
The NTSB said an investigation into the accident remains ongoing, but no timeline was provided for when the final report will be completed. The Eldorado County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation.
None of the victims killed in a boat accident were wearing the vest of their lives
According to the report, one passenger put on a life vest and began handing out the service to nine other passengers. She was the only passenger wearing an emergency life vest when the boat capsizes, but the second survivor was clung to a personal flotation device when she was rescued.
“No one else wore their (personal flotation device). Soon the boat rolled onto the right board and passengers entered the water,” the report said. “Survivors recall that snow began to fall after the boat rolled while people were in the water. No calls for pain were made from the boat.”
At about 2:57pm local time, coastal hikers witnessed the boat capsize after “a big wave was washed away,” the report added. About a minute later, one of the hikers called 911 to report the accident.
Several emergency agencies responded to the scene and recovered eight people, including two survivors, according to the report. The two survivors were taken to hospital for treatment.
Six people were declared dead at the scene, including a boat operator. The report said none of the six people were wearing life vests. The other two victims were recovered the following day from the bottom of the lake near the casualty.
Authorities have recovered four life vests and one life preserving, according to the report.
NTSB Report: Confirming the Deep Tragedy of This Accident
The two survivors saved from the water were identified as Amy Fridos and her mother, Julie Lindsay. Fridos’ father and Lindsay’s husband, Stephen, 63, of Springwater, New York, was among those killed.
Family spokesman Sam Springer said they were a large family of Doordash executive Joshua Pickles, the owner of the boat, and his parents Terry Pickles and Paula Bodinovich. Joshua Pickles’ uncle, Peter Bayes, and a family friend, were also killed in the incident.
The singer, who is also a spokesman for Pickles’ widow, Jordan Sugar Carlsgard, shared a statement after the NTSB preliminary report was released.
“The report confirms the deep tragedy of the accident, which claimed the lives of Josh’s Pickles, his father, mother, uncle and friend,” the statement reads. “Jordan Sugar Carlsgard is deeply grateful for the rescue efforts carried out by so many first responders and excellent Samaritans in tragic circumstances.”
Contribution: Jeanine Santucci, USA Today
