2 teens killed in jet ski boat accident identified – NBC Chicago

The two teenagers who died Tuesday when a jet ski and a boat collided on a lake in unincorporated Antioch Township have been identified.

According to the Lake County Coroner, the victims were identified as 16-year-old Sarina Vootkur of Lake Forest, California, and 13-year-old Elle Kim of Long Grove, Illinois.

Both teenagers died from blunt force injuries sustained in the accident, the coroner said.

The accident occurred at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, officials said, when the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit and Patrol Division were called to a collision between a jet ski and a boat on Lake Marie.

According to a press release, Sarina was operating a Yamaha jet ski with Elle as a passenger. They were traveling north near the Grass Lake Channel and the Elime Road Peninsula, the press release said.

At the same time, a Sea Ray cabin cruiser driven by a 55-year-old man from Antioch was traveling west in the same area, the press release said.

Witnesses told authorities that the jet ski was speeding straight toward the boat. The man piloting the boat was unable to avoid a collision, the news release said, and the jet ski and boat collided.

Both occupants of the jet ski were knocked unconscious and thrown into the water, the press release said. Authorities said both jet skiers were wearing life jackets at the time of the collision.

The four occupants of the boat pulled the teenagers from the water and called 911, the press release said. One of the girls was brought to shore by the operator of the Sea Ray, the other by the operator of another passing boat.

The teenagers were taken to a nearby hospital where both were pronounced dead, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported and the investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and the Illinois Conservation Police is ongoing.

According to the Illinois Manual of Boating Laws and Responsibilities, persons at least 12 years of age but under 18 years of age may operate a jet ski, which is considered a personal watercraft, under the following conditions:

• If you have completed a boating safety course or have a boating safety certificate from the Department of Natural Resources
• If they are accompanied by and under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian or person designated by them who is at least 18 years old

In addition, parents, legal guardians or authorized representatives born on or after January 1, 1998 must have a valid boating license certificate to supervise a person between the ages of 10 and 17 operating a motorboat.

This crash follows several drownings and other water-related accidents in recent days. Among them, a 16-year-old teenager died when he fell from a raft on Lake Michigan in Chicago.