Empty private watercraft at sea. Summer vacation concept (Getty)
Two girls were killed Tuesday evening when the personal watercraft they were riding 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 law enforcement agency investigating the crash.
According to sheriff's officials, the two girls were driving a Yamaha Waverunner on Lake Mary near Antioch Township, Illinois, about 70 miles north of Chicago.
The 16-year-old girl from Long Grove, Illinois, and her passenger, a 13-year-old girl, were traveling at a high speed when their watercraft collided with a speedboat driven by a 55-year-old Illinois man. Witnesses told authorities the personal watercraft was heading directly in the direction of the boat, which was unable to avoid the collision.
Officials said the two girls fell into the water and were knocked unconscious. Both were wearing life jackets, so people in the boat pulled them out of the water and provided first aid until they could be taken to shore.
The girls were taken to a nearby hospital and were pronounced dead on arrival, sheriff's officials said. No one else was reported injured in the crash.
The crash is being investigated by the sheriff's office and Illinois Conservation Police, and an autopsy will be performed Thursday.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a post on social media that it “offers its condolences to the families of the girls and others involved in this tragic boating accident.”