None of the eight people who died following the capsizing of a boat in Lake Tahoe last month after a sunny day suddenly turned stormy were wearing life vests, according to a preliminary investigation from a federal agency.
The preliminary investigation, which was conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board and released Wednesday, found that of the ten people on the boat when it capsized June 21, only one was wearing a life vest, according to the report. The second survivor was found clinging to a life vest.
The boat capsized after an unusual summer storm hit Lake Tahoe, bring eight foot waves and 35 mph winds. The victims of the incident included a DoorDash executive from San Francisco, his Redwood City-based parents and other family and friends.
Though a passenger handed out life vests to each passenger when the boat began to take on water, only one immediately put the device on, investigators said.
The 28-foot-long boat, which was named Over the Moon, set sail from Tahoe City shortly before 11 a.m. with four adults on board, investigators said. The boat first stopped at two marinas, picking up the other six passengers at the second, before heading to Emerald Bay in the lake’s west side.
With clear skies and light winds, the boat dropped its anchor in the bay for more than an hour, investigators said. At the time, the temperature sat around 54 degrees.
Around 2 p.m., the skies began to grow cloudy, prompting the driver to head back toward the marina, investigators said. As the waves grew larger and the winds and rain picked up, the driver navigated the boat back to Emerald Bay for ten minutes before again attempting to go back to the marina.
When the boat left the bay, rain was pouring and two to three-foot waves splashed up on the deck of the boat, investigators said. A survivor said that water was not accumulating on the deck until the rain turned to hail and the waves grew to eight to ten feet. When an inch of water had flooded the deck, the driver turned on the boat’s bilge pumps.
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The boat had made it close to shore — about 50 to 100 yards away — when its engine stopped, investigators said. Water began to fill the boat when it turned perpendicular to the waves. Though the passengers attempted to bail the water off the boat, it listed on its side. Another “particularly large” wave struck the boat, filling it with more water.
That is when one survivor put on a life vest and distributed them to the other passengers, though no one else put them on, investigators said. When the boat rolled over, the passengers fell into the water.
Emergency responders pulled eight people from the water, two survivors and six who were pronounced deceased at the scene, investigators said. The remaining two passengers were found at the bottom of the lake the next day. None of those who died had been wearing life vests.
Investigators added that there had been no warnings or advisories for Lake Tahoe that day but noted there was slight chance of thunderstorms in the forecast.
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.