California teenager identified as one of two girls killed in Illinois jet ski accident

Empty watercraft in the sea. Summer vacation concept (Getty)

Two girls died Tuesday night when the watercraft they were traveling in collided with a boat on an Illinois lake.

One of the girls, the 16-year-old driver of the vehicle, was a resident of Lake Forest in Orange County, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois state law enforcement agency investigating the crash.

According to the sheriff, the two girls were riding a Yamaha WaveRunner on Lake Marie near Antioch Township, a city in Illinois about 70 miles north of Chicago.

The 16-year-old and her passenger, a 13-year-old girl from Long Grove, Illinois, were traveling at high speed when their watercraft collided with a speedboat driven by a 55-year-old Illinois man. Witnesses told authorities that the watercraft was heading directly toward the boat, which was unable to avoid the collision.

Both girls were thrown into the water and knocked unconscious, officials said. They were both wearing life jackets, so those on the boat were able to pull them from the water and give them first aid until they could be brought to shore.

The girls were taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival, sheriff’s officials said. No other injuries were reported in the accident.

The accident is currently being investigated by the Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois Conservation Police. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that it “extends its sincere condolences to the families of the girls and others involved in this tragic boating accident.”