by New information from the federal government has been shared about the terrible boating accident in Lake Tahoe last month that killed eight people.
On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its first report on what happened with the Over the Moon on June 21. The 28-foot boat flipped over near D.L. Bliss State Park, which is on the western side of the lake.
The boat was launched from Tahoe City at 10:40 a.m. that same day, with four people on board, two of whom were registered owners of the boat. The owner of the Over the Moon took it to two other marinas close to pick up six more people.
The boat went about 10 miles south to Emerald Bay just before noon and stopped there for about an hour and a half. At the time, it was 54 degrees Fahrenheit outside and clear in the area. There were light winds from the south.
That day, the National Weather Service did not issue any marine alerts or small craft advisories for Lake Tahoe. However, there was a small chance of thunderstorms in the forecast.
Officials say that because the clouds were getting higher, the operator chose to go back to the marina where he picked up the people around 2 p.m.
The winds, rain, and waves got worse after the boat left Emerald Bay, so the operator had to go back to Emerald Bay. He tried again after about 10 minutes to get back to the dock.
One victim told the police that on their second trip, 2- to 3-foot waves crashed onto the boat while it was raining hard, but the deck didn’t get wet. As the waves rose to 8 to 10 feet, the winds picked up and marble-sized hail started to fall into the boat.
Some of the waves hit the boat’s sides and bow. The operator had to turn on the bilge pumps because there was about an inch of water on the deck.
In its report, the NTSB said that the weather kept getting worse during that time.
Officials say that a time-lapse camera about 1.5 miles from the scene of the accident caught whitecaps on the lake about 20 minutes before the boat flipped over. After a few minutes, the camera caught blowing rain and mixed freezing weather, then snow that was blowing.
A weather station about 8 miles southeast of the scene of the accident recorded winds from the north at 14 knots (16.1 mph), with a peak wind speed of 34 knots (39.1 mph) a few minutes before the accident.
People in charge said that the Over the Moon’s engine stopped at some point, and the ship was 50 to 100 yards out to sea. The boat washed up on its side against the waves and started to take on water.
Some of the guests tried to get the water out. Officials say the ship then rolled to the starboard side, burying the corner on the starboard side.
Officials say that at one point, a “particularly large wave” hit the boat. One of the survivors put on a personal flotation device (PFD) and gave them to everyone else on the boat, but no one else did the same right away.
“Shortly after, the boat rolled over to starboard, and the passengers entered the water,” it said.
Investigators learned from the survivor that it began to snow after the boat flipped over and while the people were still in the water.
The boat didn’t make any calls for help. One of the walkers who was on the shore at the time (around 2:55 p.m.) called 911 after seeing what happened.
Eight people were found after the accident, including the two survivors. Six people were found dead at the scene, including the operator.
Officials said that none of the six were wearing life jackets. A personal flotation device (PFD) was worn by one of the survivors, and another was holding on to one.
The next day, the bodies of the last two victims were found at the bottom of the lake and brought to the surface.
Since then, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Coroner has named the victims:
Paula Bozinovich, 71 years old, from Redwood City, CA;
Terry Pickles, 73 years old, from Redwood City, CA;
Joshua Antony Pickles, 37 years old, from San Francisco, CA;
Peter Bayes, 72 years old, from Lincoln, CA;
Timothy O’Leary, 71 years old, from Auburn, CA;
Theresa Giullari, 66 years old, from Honeoye, NY;
James Guck, 69 years old, from Honeoye, NY;
Stephen Lindsay, 63 years old, from Springwater, NY.
According to the company, Joshua Pickles was a manager at DoorDash, which delivers food.
In a statement, Joshua Pickle’s wife, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, said, “The NTSB report confirms the deep tragedy of this accident which claimed the lives of Josh Pickles, his father, uncle, and friends.” Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard is very grateful that so many first responders and good Samaritans helped save her life in this terrible situation.
The snow kept falling after the accident until after 4 p.m. It started to get clear, and in less than 90 minutes, there were no clouds in the sky.
The Over the Moon was found by a salvage company the next day after the accident. The U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB investigators, and party members then looked at the ship.
Police said they didn’t find “any evidence” of a leak in the hull, contact with an object, or grounding. One PFD was still in its plastic packing, as was an infant life vest. There was also an unzipped life vest stowage bag and five inflatable PFDs in stowage on the ship.
The NTSB has also taken back the ship’s electrical systems, along with the bilge pumps and fuel filter, to look into further.
The dead person was given toxicology tests for drugs and drink. The NTSB said that test results are still being put together.
The event is still being looked into.
