Ottawa Citizen

Probe continues into Bobs Lake boat crash that killed 3, injured 5

An investigat­ion continues into the fatal collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat on Bobs Lake on the Victoria Day weekend in May that killed three young people.

The crash occurred just before 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, on the lake northeast of Kingston.

The Ontario Provincial Police investigat­ion is being conducted by the criminal investigat­ion branch led by Det. Insp. Marty Mcconnell, the OPP said in a news release. The investigat­ion is ongoing with assistance from the Frontenac OPP, Frontenac marine unit, region support team, underwater search and recovery team and the chief coroner of Ontario.

All people involved in the crash were accounted for. Three young adults — Riley Orr, Juliette Cote and Kaila Bearman — were killed in the crash, which also injured five others. The OPP said it cannot release personal health informatio­n about the others injured in the crash, including the status of the operator of the powerboat.

Charges may be laid at a later date. There are currently no charges.

While the OPP said it cannot discuss specific factors being investigat­ed in the crash, it did say that general factors that are investigat­ed include: speed, alcohol/ drug impairment, safety equipment used or not used, weather, operator requiremen­ts for boats, time of day, darkness, underwater hazards, navigation tools or markers and operator ability.

The OPP said the investigat­ion will be ongoing to determine what impact speed may have played in the collision. A reconstruc­tionist and traffic collision investigat­or, along with witness accounts, will determine if speed played a role. At this time, the OPP are not releasing those determinat­ions.

In regard to speed on area waterways, the OPP said there is no prescribed speed limit on the open water. A posted speed limit could be posted in canals or more narrow waterways. A regulation under the Canada Shipping Act of 2001 dictates that vessels that are within 30 metres (100 feet) of any shoreline are to cause minimal wake on shore.