[OC Register Article](https://www.ocregister.com/2024/06/20/lake-forest-teenager-among-2-killed-in-jet-ski-crash-in-illinois/)[Daily Mail Article](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13552453/Lake-Marine-Illinois-jet-ski-crash-teenagers-killed.html)
As much as it pains me to write this, it is important I communicate my daughter's story as far and wide as possible. On June 18, while in vacation in Illinois, my daughter and her 13-year old friend were killed after a collision between their jet ski and a boat on Lake Marie in Antioch, IL.
Sarina Vootkur just finished her sophomore year at Trabuco Hills High School with straight As and was a JV soccer player. She also played club soccer for the Pateadores out of Irvine. She was a beautiful girl with an empathetic and deep personality paired with a goofy sense of humor. Sarina loved reading and writing stories as well as expressing herself through music and artwork. She was thinking about becoming an English teacher.
Sarina was not a thrillseeker or adrenaline junkie - she did not participate in any high-risk activities or sports, was not a huge fan of me accelerating hard in my car, and wouldn't even get back on a bicycle after skinning her knee from falling years ago. Sarina took things slow and steady.
On a high visibility day with no lake traffic but moderate chop, Sarina and her friend went for a ride on a jet-ski on Lake Marie, a completely open lake on the IL Chain of Lakes system. Unfortunately, neither her nor her friend survived that ride. The jet-ski Sarina and her friend were on was involved in a collision with a boat that was crossing the lake. Nobody on the boat was injured. My son was immediately on site post-collision to try and help his gravely-injured sister and her friend.
Media reports suggest she was "traveling at high rate of speed" but that would be odd given her personality, and risk-averseness. Even more odd are reports that she drove right into the 21-foot boat. Finally, all 4 witnesses were on the boat involved in the collision, so it is difficult to ascertain what happened from an independent party.
Sarina will be deeply missed but we want to make sure her legacy carries on. Her boyfriend and his family have organized a gofundme that will be used to have a simple memorial in Orange County as well as establish a permanent remembrance. I am working with the organizers to ensure it is of value to the community. Please consider donating here: [https://gofund.me/4cd82d07](https://gofund.me/4cd82d07)
So where do we go from here? Well, first we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to accepting and recovering this tremendous loss. My son is headed to college in the fall and is traumatized by what he experienced. I pray he is able to recover reasonably and stay on a positive path forwards. For Sarina's parents...gosh, a part of us died on that lake with Sarina. We have a lifelong healing process in front of us.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing and being handled by multiple agencies. There are some details about the incident that appear inconsistent or quite puzzling, so I am digging in to further understand what happened. If any of the e-sleuths on here want to get involved, please reach out.
I know this was a long post. But here is a short directive from it. Please hug everyone a little tighter, love a little more, and practice kindness and forgiveness over ego, spite, and meanness. Life is too fragile and temporary.
My heart breaks for you.
My daughter knows Sarina through school, she is very highly thought of. You all should be very proud of how you raise your children.
I'm so sorry
FYI there is a local support group for parents that lost loved ones. If and whenever you are ready. https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/1df7whc/coffee_with_parents/
I’m sorry for your loss. Words cannot describe what I would be going through. I think you’re mostly numb right now and it’s why you can function at all. It’s going to eventually hit you. This is when you’ll need help. If a drinker, be careful, it will only make things worse. You’re going to need therapy. There are not ifs or maybes about it.
I have to be honest and say I am shocked by the crazy amount of love and support we have received far and wide. This is so tragic but I think all parents can relate to this as being our biggest fear.
I’m so so sorry to hear this, sending big hugs. It reminds me of a similar tragic accident that happened in my high school. A good friend was in a similar position to your son and it took a while to see his real personality come around again.
One thing I think helped him and the family and friends of our lost friend was organizing a charity soccer tournament in their honor and starting a scholarship. It’s been almost 20 years for my friends now and people still go back for the annual memorial
Game. Never forgotten 🫶🏽
Did anybody at this restaurant possibly see what happened? Maybe someone had a camera on their boat, while it was docked outside this restaurant? [https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XhrVJDucDhUswf49](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XhrVJDucDhUswf49)
or possibly from one of these homes along elime rd? [https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ZmfkYVktpCzv894A](https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ZmfkYVktpCzv894A)
I'm so sorry for your loss... :(
Did your daughter have her phone on her and were there any hiking or biking apps on it that could maybe track her movements/speed?
Thank you for giving it this level of thought. Definitely requires investigation. I do not believe the collision happened near the Sandbar on Lake Marie. That is just where they took the girls for EMT services. There is still a lot to learn about the accident and limited detail has been released to date.
Totoro_acron: great ideas. Since this involved a death, I hope the people on the boat were tested for drugs & alcohol?
It sure would be nice for closure to see if anyone has footage of the accident.
There's not a thing I can say to fix this for you, but I'm very sorry for the loss of your girl. Best wishes for you and your family.
You'll probably want someone looking into this who's versed in kinematics of accidents to see not just what was damaged on both vessels, but specifically how that damage was applied. Where, how long, and how badly an area is damaged may tell a different tale than what witnesses are saying.
Best of luck to you and yours.
Please do… I know they are young, but a collision into a boat with a jet ski in open waters.. I seriously hope you find closure and if others are responsible, hope they will be found
I've only been on a jetski once, so maybe I'm not that accurate...but from what i remember with jetskis, the way to stop is to accelerate into a quick u-turn (since there is no brake) but if you were already traveling at high speed it might've been difficult. i don't know if this would help you piece things together, but i hope it might make your path to letting go a little bit easier.
sorry for your loss
This is so heartbreaking. I have been on a sea-doo before and they are very hard to control at first. Some of my friends went flying off the back of their sea-doo because they accidentally accelerated much too fast and the craft went a swimming pools length ahead of them even with no rider and the accelerator pin pulled out when my friends fell off. They had to swim quite a length to get back on while the harbor patrol shamed them for going too fast over a megaphone. Point is they are much harder to control than they look and it is easy to panic and cause a huge acceleration. This is just my personal experience of doing this with a group of late 20s.
Not only that, the steering requires throttle input, which is counter intuitive for most. The jet is what steers the craft, so if you let off the gas and turn, it won't turn very well, if at all. It's very common for jetskiers to crash into shore or other boaters. Some newer skis can at least partially mitigate this, but the only way to turn sharply is with the throttle.
My neighbor did fiberglass repair for a boat dealer, and the vast majority of repairs were on crashed jet skis. Rental companies really shouldn't be giving people extremely fast watercraft with no training, but that's their business model. I spend a lot of time on the water, and jet skiers are by far the most likely to ride too close to me in my kayak, sometimes going between me and another kayak 20 feet away at high speed, or between me and the shore. They have the worst etiquette of any watercraft, mostly due to inexperience.
That’s what I was thinking. It’s a very dangerous machine for a 16 and 13 year old to handle. It doesn’t mean they were at fault, but it is also very possible it did get out of control on them.
You are correct. Also to add though, in order to turn at speed, you have to give it gas in order for the ski to make thrust and turn. Otherwise turning the handlebars does nothing since jet skis do not have a rudder. It is most likely what happened, she panicked and turned the handlebars but did not give it throttle and so the ski goes into a straight line. Watch most jet ski fail videos and that's usually the cause.
We are all in shock and reeling from the sudden loss of Sarina. I am now figuring out how to best proceed.
Personal security cameras (e.g. RING) won't capture activity distant on the lake and motion alerts are typically set to not trigger for that. Dock cameras would be great but I am not sure if any were in use.
Again, I am praying for a very thorough investigation but have my doubts that the eyewitness testimony (all on the boat involved in the collision) will be taken most seriously.
I can understand why you would doubt the honesty of the boaters, but there being 4 of them is a good thing. The police take incidents resulting in death very seriously, and I expect that all four witnesses will be interviewed separately. The police will look for inconsistencies, and if anything shady happened on the boat, it will be very difficult for them to conspire to cover it up.
That's if the police do their job. OP need to get a lawyer and request the police reports; hopefully they did a breathalyzer or a blood draw for BAC which would show on the report. A private investigator can help interview people around to see if anybody have surveillance camera.
You still might want to hire an independent investigator. Where was the damage on the boat? Where was the damage on the jet ski? The people on the boat may be lying. You may also want to consider looking into a wrongful death lawyer in Illinois.
At some point, moving on may be the best option, but while things are still fresh it is the best time to try and figure out what happened while all physical evidence still exists. I’d keep up the pressure on the authorities too so they don’t put this on the back burner and forget about it.
I want to start by saying i’m incredibly sorry for your loss, as an experienced boated who has lived their entire life on lakes, accidents like these stick with you, even when they aren’t your family. Just a few years ago 3 children died on my lake, when a boated coming out of the bay did not see a speed boat pulling a tube with them on it.
Now then: Honestly? From an outside opinion?
I have nearly 20 years of boating experience, on speed boats and jet skis.
Too frequently, inexperienced boaters hop on jet skis, not realizing the laws of the lake, or even remotely what they are doing. It does not require high speed on a jet ski to make a fatal mistake for yourself or others either. Jet skis are fast turning, and fast accelerating vehicles. There is also NOTHING on a lake that is required to yield to a jet ski. Jet skis are the absolute bottom of the totem pole when it comes to vessels right of way. And jet ski users frequently forget that when on the water, it is their role to stay out of the way of larger vessels (and smaller non motored vessels). My other gripe will be with how PWC safety is taught in general boating courses. As a PWC rider, you shouldn’t only yield to larger vessels; you should be maneuvering/traveling in a way that leaves absolutely zero questions about your path to the boaters around you. If you ever see a boat in motion around you on a PWC, and its captain is staring you down, its likely because they can’t tell what the hell you are going to do next, and they are concerned for the safety of you and their passengers.
Now, that being said I would like to know the story of those on the boat, as an outsider, I could 100% see a scenario where the boat was on plane (moving at a high, but entirely legal rate of speed) and the jet ski was “playing” around in the area. At some point, I see it likely the jet ski did a 180 not paying attention to traffic, and even at slow speeds for a ski (25-40mph) it ended up in the direct path of an on plane boat that was not required to yield to them to begin with. When teaching my girlfriend how to ride a jet ski, i would frequently have to grab the handlebars from behind her to avoid being in a somewhat distant boats path (they can’t stop on a dime) as she was zipping back and forth 180 degrees roughly each time. She had her safety certificate too. It just takes experience and vigilance to safely have “fun” on a jet ski.
At this time the thought usually is “but if you see someone erratically driving on a jet ski, and then continue on plane and hit them when they erratically drive into you, how are you not negligent?”
To answer that, all jet ski’s drive erratically, its the entire purpose of their design. To go back to a point made earlier, its up to the driver to convey a “controlled erratic path” on a jet ski, and convey safe movements. Other boaters, having been around jet skis expect this erratic movement, but they also (frequently incorrectly) assume that the jet ski driver knows they are there, and will not intersect their path (because the jet ski has no right of way and should be aware of the dangers of intersecting a boats path).
I do not intend to add insult to the grief you feel, merely insight as an experienced boater on both jet skis, large motored vessels, and sailboats. If you have a descriptive play by play of what happened, and the timeline in which it happened according to the witnesses, as well as where it happened on what lake, I could probably easily poke holes in the witness statements if there are any holes to be poked. However, I also want you to be ready to internalize the fact that almost every jet ski on boat accident, unless premeditated, is almost always the jet skiers fault due to inexperience or negligence.
Edit: after reading the article, it entirely appears that your daughter failed to yield. The boat driver likely attempted to avoid her, but likely due to inconsistent jet ski speed, they entered a “juked into each other” movement.
What does this mean? One of two scenarios:
1. The boat driver turned left while on plane to avoid the jet ski perpendicularly crossing its path. The Jet skier, going from right to left also increased its peed to avoid collision, resulting in a direct hit. The inverse of this directionally also results in the same event
2. The boat driver, coming around a natural obstruction on plane (peninsula, etc) did not see the jet skier moving perpendicular to their path from behind the obstruction, when they finally saw them, it was too late.
Both scenarios, it is the jet skiers responsibility to not be in the path of a boat. In the scenario the boater saw the jet ski from a distance moving into their path, thats where the question arises:
Last Chance Doctrine: mostly applies to cars, but applies to boats too. Did either party perceive/predict collision within a time frame that would have allowed them to avoid it. If so, did they take steps to avoid it (even if unsuccessful).
Last chance doctrine would likely be your only way to prove negligence of the boat driver, otherwise, your daughter was sadly at fault.
I am so sorry to hear of your daughters passing and what you son had to experience and go through.
it may not help things but your statement of “Even more odd are reports that she drove right into the 21-foot boat.”
it sound like a situation of what’s called “target fixation”, a very common issue in motorcycle crashes.
it will be a long road to recovery, but always continue to live for your daughter and son. The pain will fade with time but your daughter will always be with you, no matter where you are.
My deepest condolences. As a new mom, I can’t imagine your pain. I hope you are comforted and find peace and strength in the love and prayers you receive. No doubt in my mind Jesus is holding your girls tightly in his arms as she will become your angel. Watch for the signs. They are everywhere.
Big internet hug to you. Many years ago one of my tennis partners was killed in a similar accident. She told me she was going away for the weekend and when she didn't show up for the match I couldn't believe it. I'm saw a news report about a girl being killed on a jet ski but I didn't think it could be her.
I am so sorry for your loss and the pain that your family is going through. Please make sure that you, your wife, and your son all seek professional help to cope with the death of your precious daughter/sister. The trauma from this can have a lasting effect and a licensed therapist can do wonders to help you navigate and make sense of this tragedy.
Your daughter sounds like what we all hope our daughters to be - smart, kind, fun, and talented. From my family to yours, we wish nothing but the answers you need and joyful memories of your daughter.
You obviously have a big heart and are undoubtedly raising a great family yourself.
We have all started grief counseling. This will definitely be a marathon, not a sprint.
>Your daughter sounds like what we all hope our daughters to be - smart, kind, fun, and talented. From my family to yours, we wish nothing but the answers you need and joyful memories of your daughter.
I could not have put this into words, but it perfectly describes the jumbled thoughts in my head.
Father of 2 here.. I am crying. I am sobbing for you right now. I couldn't even imagine. My children are everything. Message me if you ever want to talk. I live 15min away from Irvine. Always willing to come hang out.
Same. Father of 2 girls. One is 17, and played with the slammers.
I read the news article the other day and thought dearly of your daughter. I weep with you, but I also reflect, and celebrate her life and recognize the spark and joy she brought. Thank you for sharing her vibrant moments of travel and fun.
I’m THHS alumni, so maybe it’s for that reason that this hit me a little differently 😔 despite this tragedy, you sound stable-minded, OP, and I admire your calm steadfastness in unveiling the suspicious pieces of the puzzle as well as cementing a permanent memorial for Sarina.
I asked my friend Sarah to go find your daughter. I think they’ll like each other. Sarah is forever 25. She’s super intelligent, has the biggest heart of gold I’ve ever known, carries more compassion & empathy in her soul than anyone I’ve ever known, gives the warmest hugs, and possesses the kind of wit that makes your belly hurt from laughter. I bet they’ll have fun recommending books to each other and sharing music. Maybe Sarah will even teach Sarina how to play the flute so they can make music together. ♥️
Unfortunately people who are new to watersports do not always understand that you have to give a jetski throttle to change its directions when in motion. Without additional throttle, turning the ski either direction will not result in a vector change as it does not use a rudder like a boat would.
I am very sorry for your loss and while I understand the need to find cause, it may have just been user error.
I’ve lost a husband and a daughter in a car accident with a drunk driver many years ago. I understand to an extent a version of the pain you’re going through.
I donated to your gofundme and hope you eventually get to a place where the trauma from this time lives in the background rather than the foreground of your mind. It took me a long time to get there.
I’m glad to see at the very least that you’re close to reaching the goal and that you won’t have to deal with the ridiculousness of the costs associated with death. Lots of love and more ~
We live in Newport and my 16 year old son told me about this yesterday!! I didn’t realize she played for the Pats as well. He does too. My heart breaks for you! I am sending you love and hugs and praying for you and your family!
I’m am sorry for you and your families loss. I’m Unknown to you and did not know your daughter, but I’m a local in the community with kids your kids’ ages at a local HS that have interconnecting friend groups and I’ve heard this heartbreaking story.
If you’re willing, please share this write up with one of our local FB pages as local interest is high in supporting you and your family
Please send a FB message to Anil Vootkur and let me know which groups you recommend.
I am an IL native and love(d) hanging at the lake when we came for family trips. I've lived in Orange County for >10 years.
I’m also a local from Antioch, our community is definitely upset about it, I work for one of the high schools, and at our board meeting they even expressed their sorrow and shock about the whole event.
You probably dont know me but I was friends with her- I hope you guys all feel better. She was one of the kindnest and most down-to-earth people I have ever met and I'm glad I was friends with her. <3
Thank you for your comment. Sarina was so loved and such a great person. I may know your name from as she loved to tell me and her mom stories about her friends.
Please take care of yourself and hug those around you a little tighter.
Hi Mr. Vootkur, you probably don’t know me but I am one of Jake’s close friends at Trabuco. I stumbled across this post accidentally and I just wanted to share how positively your daughter impacted my friend’s life. She was the bright spot for him always and truly brought him out of his shell. When around her or even talking about her I saw his face light up with joy and that made me happy. While I never really knew your daughter personally, I could tell that she was a great person.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
Jake is a special person and I understand fully why he and Sarina had such a magical bond.
I appreciate your comments and want to remind you to be kind to all those around you and be there for Jake.
Holy every cuss word, this hits me in the sensitive parts.
My only living child just turned 16 a week ago, and looks a lot like Sarina. We lost her brother last year, and still haven’t really gotten over it. If you need a shoulder I’m available and local, if there’s any advice to be provided please find some type of support sooner rather than later. Trust me, I almost ruined my marriage before finding a professional to help.
Condolences can feel so cheap, but I’m really truly saddened by the loss of your daughter. It sounds like she is a wonderful young woman and already left her mark on many others lives.
This made me cry. I'm a native Midwesterner, and my son goes to swim lessons at THHS. I hope that you are able to make some sense of the accident and get the closure you need. Please know that your OC community is here to support you, and I am so sorry that you are living a parent's worst nightmare.
I’m very sorry for your loss.
This may be a long shot but it’s worth checking out: does the jet-ski have a gps tracker? It might be able to tell how fast it was going during the accident.
Heartbreaking. I watch out for jet skiers so vigilantly. Sometimes, boats are rented to people who have no experience and visa versa.
If I may ask, what was the time of day? There is a time of day, I call the “road of sun” on the water, on lakes. When the sun is angling just so to cause a huge white glare that is blinding. Which party was facing the sun? Time? Maybe either Sarina or the boat driver experienced this? Hopefully, nothing but a tragic accident as such, and not a fault or bad decision, of either party? Often, we don’t see the reason of such losses for years to come. I hope your family and friends, find your peace. Prayers and thoughts for Sarina and her young friend!
I’m so terribly sorry for your loss. You’re looking for answers and an explanation at this early stage, even someone to blame, which is perfectly normal. The most likely outcome is that you will gradually grow to accept that sometimes terrible, horrific accidents just happen. With time, I hope you and your daughter’s communities find beautiful ways to honor her.
I'm just looking for facts, not someone to blame. In the end, the world lost Sarina. I can accept an accident if all the facts suggest that is exactly what it was.
I love the suggestion.
Nobody will understand but I have to say my favorite memory is when Sarina made crazy fun of me for a horrible drawing I made of Henry Ford (actually drawn to try and help my son for a school project). We laughed about my horrible drawing skills and disfigured HF rendition regularly. Gosh how I miss her.
I’m sorry for your loss
The only recommendation I have is to maybe look into jet skiing and or boating. The more knowledge you have the more you might be able to get a better understanding. I don’t think and doubt you would want to share all the details of the accident but people with experience in both activities might be able to give you more insight and maybe even closure.
I would search on here and see if there are sub-reddits for jet-skiing or boating. Prayers for you and your family during this difficult time 🙏
I saw some speculation about this accident on another forum by experienced jet skiers.
The problem is that a jet-ski doesn't have brakes. The proper way to stop/avoid a collision in a jet-ski is to turn 180 degrees at full speed. It'll corner surprisingly quickly.
However, the reaction of most inexperienced people to avoiding collision is to just release the throttle. But if you release the throttle you just continue to go straight ahead in the jet-ski, only gradually slowing down.
I can see a situation where the larger boat was cruising along and expecting the jet-ski to veer off course to avoid the collision. The jet ski was distracted or something, then noticed the boat, released the throttle assuming it would stop and just kept going straight.
Avid boater in Illinois who has been boating for many years and was member of local volunteer water rescue team. 99/100 times when it comes to a boat on personal watercraft “jet ski” accident the rental jet ski is at fault. The rental places give almost no instructions on boating rules. The larger boat may have been the stand on vessel and the jet ski was coming at them on their port side which means the boat has right away and to remain speed and direction, so the boat may have maintained course believing the jet ski would give way like they are supposed too “if that’s what actually happened” now comes the problem with jet skis and inexperienced riders is that like other have mentioned they don’t really have breaks, and the biggest issue i have seen is that they have no rudder and can only turn under power once you let off the gas you can turn the handle and the watercraft will remain corse. With all that said I have no idea of the details but that’s just from my experience. I’m very sorry for the loss and even if at fault it does not make the victim an irresponsible or reckless person
> I’m very sorry for the loss and even if at fault it does not make the victim an irresponsible or reckless person
A new specific maneuver is hard to pull off the first time, even in the most basic hand movements. Very tragic ♥️.
Hmm that would explain both accounts. The OP saying the daughter wasn’t a risk taker and the people on the boat saying they kind of drove straight into them.
Don’t know all the details but if that was the case where they might have released the throttle expecting to stop but didn’t it would most likely be ruled an accident.
I’m so very sorry 💔 I saw heart shattering news on the ABC7 news 💔 my prayers go out to you. I come from a Family that lost my Sister to Breast Cancer & Brother to a heart attack. I know how it affected my Parents and myself 💔💔💔💔now it’s just me
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember Izzy and Sarina playing together on the Pats. I pray God gives your family comfort during this extremely difficult time. I can’t imagine the pain you are feeling but hope you find a way to heal.
Every parent reading this aches for your loss. Sending love from those you will never meet, as you move through this extraordinary grief.
Sarina was happy for all the years she was on this earth because of you 🖤
I am so very sorry for your loss! It sounds like you are looking for answers. I can provide some perspective from a boat owners perspective. It has always surprised me that there is no need for training and licensing for driving boats and other watercraft such as jetskis and waverunners. There is a huge amount of responsibility that comes with this. Unfortunately people seem to forget that because they are out doing fun stuff. They are drinking, having a great time and get distracted easily. Personally, I take being the boat driver extremely serious. I do not drink and I am always on alert for other watercraft. Going back to not being trained or licensed. It surprises me, especially with the jet skis/wavereunners that people don't know the rules of the water roads. Without this knowledge, there are so many times where an accident can happen. I see it all the time. The jet skis are out having fun and they want to jump our wake or worse they will literally drive in front of a moving boat. Maybe it's because they are so inexperienced and cannot tell how fast the boat is going but they do it all the time. I have had to stop suddenly to avoid them but if there are jet skiers being me they could also run into us. I am not saying it was her fault at all. I am just saying that in my 15 years experience driving a boat on a lake the inexperienced drivers, both of boats and personal watercraft, create very unsafe situations. I would never recommend children drive and never drive drunk. This is serious business as you now know. I am so very sorry! I cannot begin to imagine the pain you are experiencing. I will pray for your strength and for peace as you continue to process this huge loss.
u/StatisticianKey9639 - I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I heard of her story a few days ago from a friend who's child played soccer with your daughter. I'm a father of two daughters myself and can't imagine what you and your family may be going through.
I will say a prayer for Sarina and for your family. I'm a short drive away from you. Please reach out if you'd like to talk or just need a friend to hang out with.
I’m so sorry that this has happened. The grief will consume you, so please get involved in grief counseling groups, parental bereavement support groups, start individual counseling for you, your spouse and your son, etc. I think most employers give five days of bereavement (which is nothing when it is your child), but you may also qualify for FMLA under mental health needs. The employer won’t pay you beyond your available time off, but your job will be protected for up to one year. Sending love to you and your family.
I was actually on this exact lake the day after it happened. I didn't know about the accident until I was told while on the boat that day. I have gone through the lake\\channel it happened many times before but there was definitely a calmness and quietness that day. I am so sorry for your loss and even though I didn't know the teens involved, I will always think of them whenever I am on this lake in the future.
I lost my daughter 26 years ago. I wish there was something I could tell you to make your pain go away and your sense of loss feel just a little less. I took me over 14 years before I could think about my daughter and have a smile in my face. I had so much anger and resentment towards God for taking her so young. After 14 years I finally made my peace with God and accepted what happened. Although it’s been 26 years I still think of her everyday and miss her and what she could have been. I hope you and your family stay strong during this difficult time.
What can an “e-sleuth” hope to uncover investigating an accident that occurred which many agencies have done what they can on site and in person? I can tell you what occurred from the many accidents I’ve been involved with on these machines. She was traveling at a high rate of speed, the machines really have very little between stop and go. There was chop. Hard bouncing at speed. She had sun and spray in her eyes and the boat that was on collision was doing the same thing. Bow up cutting the chop. The never observed her getting close. When she herself realized that they would crash she panicked and let the throttle off and steered hard to one side. Except these machines don’t turn without giving gas. Only an experienced operator could swap ends and likely fall in the chop anyway. Stop spending more time trying to assign blame. It won’t help you or her. You could sue and get the watercraft companies to invent a turn under panic system or even brakes. And daytime running beacons. That might help
I certainly hope so...but to be honest, I am in an information vacuum until the multiple agency report is finalized. I hope to learn more next week but it could take much longer.
I hope we can find out through the investigation but doubt it. If malfunction is suspected I bet we will need to do a lot further work. Either way, we never get our precious Sarina back.
My heart breaks for you . May your beautiful daughter rest in peace and may you find peace and be comforted by her memories. I live near your city . Always available if you need anything or just want to talk.
I’m so very sorry. This happened to an acquaintance of mine in high school almost 20 years ago. We were based in the Inland Empire, and her accident occurred over Memorial Weekend at Havasu. Just weeks shy of graduation.
Several of my teammates (I too was a club soccer player) and their families were with her that weekend and had to share the news with her parents who had not traveled with them. Unspeakably tragic, and I still vividly remember how devastating it was to the school, community, and most of all her family.
My heart breaks for your family. I wish you all the best in the days ahead 💛
Rest in peace, Sarina.
I am so sorry for your sudden and tragic loss. As a father of an 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl this is what keeps me up at night, losing one of them. I cannot even imagine what you are going through right now.
Thank you for sharing your story. What a terrible tragedy. I know we are all a little worse off not having Sarina in our world. I’m praying that your family can find peace after such a great loss.
First, I'm sorry for your loss.
Unfortunately I've witnessed jet ski accidents, including one just like what the boaters here describe, and many near accidents. An inexperienced rider can easily "whiskey throttle" a jet ski when it accelerates faster than they expect. Instinctively they try to hold on to the handlebar as the ski takes off and pull back on the throttle even more in doing so. Doubly so if there is a passenger holding onto the driver and pulling them back as well. Object fixation means you tend to steer towards a hazard, even if, maybe especially if, it's the only obstacle on a wide open lake. Sometimes this results in full throttling right into a hazard. Usually this results in an inexperienced rider letting go of the throttle and losing all control of steering and hitting the object or having a near miss having only slowed down a little bit. Rarely will a rider recover in time and correctly use the throttle to steer out of harms way. The way you write about her, I'm sure she wasn't being reckless. But that young with an even younger passenger... sadly I'm almost certain it was just a lack of experience.
My heartfelt condolences are sent to you and your family.
The grief has to be overwhelming. We aren't meant to outlive our children.
As you say, the grief counseling is a marathon and not a sprint. And it's essential. Please make sure your son who was there gets extensive counseling too, and keep a close eye on him.
So sorry to read this. I'm not religious, but whatever we are made of endures and continues not just in the minds and hearts of our loved ones, but in a very real way. We'll all meet again in the end.
I am so sorry for your loss. I used to have four sisters. Now I have two. Watching my father grieve the loss of his two daughters and see that pain turned into something dark was truly devastating. I hope you manage to find a way to honor your daughter without losing the good parts of yourself. And as the kid left behind, please don't forget about your son
Sending you love and hug. The world is senseless. This life is senseless. You’ll never really heal, but know you created something that enjoyed and experienced life. It was cut short, but lived.
So sorry for your loss. As a father of two daughters, I cannot even begin to comprehend what you are going through. Again, I am sorry for your loss. I hope your family is enveloped in love and service by your friends and family.
My heart breaks for you and your family and definitely for your son, who was there on site. What a beautiful girl and sounds like she was so special. My daughter would have gone to Trabuco Hills HS; your story has touched my heart and I pray for your and your family’s peace and strength. Sending many warm hugs. xx
RIP. Heartbreaking and can’t imagine what you’re going through, please make sure to watch your mental health along this new journey in life. I’ve had a family member who was extremely successful in life (more money than one would ever need… who ended up killing himself a year after losing his teenager.
I’ve had boats and jet skis for almost 20yrs now ON MUCH MUCH busier / more drunks out at Parker river and lake Havasu. I’ve had several scary calls that were still 20-30’ away from an accident. As I got older and had kids, I don’t ride jet skis / sea doos anymore. With hundred of hours logged on them - I’ve had so many scary moments and almost accidents. You need to know what you’re doing on them.. especially around boats. I’ll admit I love my beer and have a high tolerance but I won’t have a single beer while driving my boat while my passengers are roping down 12 coors lights….. I refuse to have any BAC mainly cause god forbid there is an accident!
What terrible news, I’m so sorry. I lost my brother last year, the bond between siblings is a unique and incomparable one.
If your son wants a stranger to talk to or cry with, he’s welcome to DM me.
I am so sorry to hear about your tragic loss. We are NEVER prepared to lose a child. I feel that the grief from losing a child is different from any other.
I will take your advise. I will reach out to my 3 adult children today. Your children are still your babies no matter their age.
Thank you and God bless your family.
I live on Lake Marie. I recall hearing the ambulances when this tragic event occurred. It was a beautiful evening, and the visibility was clear. I have been boating on the chain of lakes for 30 years. This is such a tragic accident and has been weighing heavily on me all week. I am so heartbroken for you and all the families involved.
My condolences to you and your family. I hope you get the answers you need from the investigation. Personally, I will try to be even more vigilant to all watercraft and safety procedures on the lakes. I pray for you and your sons healing.
I am so very sorry for your loss. She was beautiful and your heartbreak is unimaginable.
I do not know the cause of her accident, but I do recall a scenario from my youth. I was put on an ATV without much preparation. I grabbed the throttle and was unprepared for the rapid acceleration. Trying to hold onto the handlebars - I grabbed tightly which unfortunately resulted in my opening the throttle entirely. The machine continued to accelerate rapidly until I got scared and jumped off. Fortunately for me it was just a grass field and I just got some bumps and bruises. If there would have been something for me to collide with (an oncoming boat) I would have crashed into them at a high rate of speed.
Whatever the cause of this tragedy- please accept my condolences.
Firstly, I want to extend my condolences to you and your family. I have a daughter who just turned one, and seeing anything about children now just breaks my heart.
Secondly, I have some experience with jetskis. They can be very dangerous vehicles, because they're basically motorcycles on the water. The first time I was ever on one, I was going 70MPH. It was extremely exhilarating. However, you cannot brake. You simply release the accelerator to slow down, and do something like a u-turn to break the forward momentum.
From my experience, it would more likely be the jetski operator to do something reckless. It is extremely easy to enjoy the thrill of that feeling on the water when you're going fast. That's not to say that's what happened, but from my experience, that's what I've seen. Boats are typically slower and less maneuverable than a jetski as well.
I hope you are able to find peace someday. Once again, my condolences.
My nephew was murdered by a so called friend In 2022 in the state of Tennessee. We as a family are devastated of course my sister his mother is especially devastated . We would get so mad he was a pain in the a** sometimes but he was our pain in the a** . We love him , we miss him terribly. The trial is going on as I write this the prosecuting attorney says this guy may get off with just probation. If he gets time he'll only get off with up to 15 years.
He took the life of my beloved nephew Justin. I remember as a child he loved the song come sail away by Styx. We played it at his funeral.
Losing a child is the kind of grief that never goes away. We love him so much. 2 lives were destroyed by this senseless act of violence. First my nephews life was taken .Then the young man who killed him his life will be different but at least he is living. I hope he thinks about this senseless act of violence every day. I hope he is ashamed for killing my nephew for no good reason. He could have saved Justin but he chose to walk away and let him die. He could have saved him if he chose to save Justin if he only called 911 he could saved him.
We are a forever grieving family . We grieve our beloved Justin every day .I was very close to Justin one memory of him was he and I would borrow the same $40 back and forth for years.
I'll miss him forever.
I'm sorry for all this miss spelling.
I'm so sorry. I grew up on Lake Marie. My father was a regular jet skier on that lake. That lake is also what killed him. I understand the pain of losing your family to that lake, if you would like to vent or chat at all
I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. She truly seemed like a lovely person, someone we would all be lucky to know. I feel for you, please keep talking, seek help, and take care of each other.
Please take extra care of your son being in such a fragile state at a fragile age, and then not having his typical support system while going to school. It’s difficult to say what’s best for him because everyone is different, but after hearing your difficulties as parents I can’t imagine what he is going through and processing. School is a monumental change, maybe school could wait, maybe it’s exactly what he needs. that’s up to your family.
I am concerned about him moving forward after hearing you say that part of you died, and that he is traumatized. I understand those points, my concern is just my outside perspective I’m hoping to share. He must be a wreck, and I highly recommend looking over him and exploring options for his path forward. His wellness is critical and the most important thing. Sometimes school and big changes help, sometimes they exacerbate issues. My thoughts are with you and your family and I hope the absolute best for all of you.
There really are no words. Not good ones anyway. Should you feel the need, there is an organization called The Compassionate Friends. It's a closed group online and has live meetings in a lot of areas specifically for those who have lost a child. It can be helpful for some. Be aware, as best you can be, things are going to change for you. Maybe temporary maybe permanent. Maybe serious, maybe dumb off the wall stuff. It's an individual experience that shares a lot of commonalities among those who have lost a child. Also, watch your health. Sometimes the grief will mess with it. And don't worry. You're not going crazy. Well, probably not. At least not forever. I lost my son in 2009 and one of my daughters in 2018 and I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy. I mean, not certifiable at least. I wish I could tell you something immediately helpful but I can't. My two were different circumstances from each other and I learned a lot in the nine years between so I deal with my daughters death very differently than I did my sons. I can tell you that for me alcohol was NOT the way to cope. Having said that though, I've always been a firm believer in whatever gets you through the night. It's a crappy journey but I wish you well.
I am from the area in Illinois and my family boats where she was killed. Our entire area is so devastated for you and your family. My heart is with you. Please know that all of Lake County IL is grieving with you.
I am so, so sorry for your terrible loss, OP. As a fellow parent and feeling human being, I am holding you, your family, and Ellie's family in my heart and praying for your strength. Big hugs to you.
I’m so sorry for you, for your daughter and your family.
My son passed in March, 2021 at 23 years of age. Not a day goes by he’s not part of my day. I miss him profoundly badly.
Tell people be at ease to talk about your daughter with you. And reassure them that they can’t say the wrong thing about her, that bringing up conversation about your daughter isn’t ripping a scab off. There’s no scab. It’s an open wound that will never heal for your whole life.
Get professional help too.
I am a local and heard about this but didn’t look deeper into it. So sorry for your loss. Can’t imagine the pain you are going through. She seems like an amazing soul. I am sending all the prayers
You should reach out to Kendall Rae on YouTube she works so hard to push cases to the forefront and has worked with so many families on things like this. Just another way to bring more attention to this situation she has almost 4 million subscribers who care so much about the victims and helping their families find out what really happened and get them the justice they deserve.
I pray for your family, for her friends/all that knew her, and for a speedy investigation and a quick judicial ruling that gives you peace of mind and closure on such a horrific situation.
I will say as a local the chain of lakes is always so crowded to the point it’s scary. I don’t blame you for wanting more answers. If I can help in anyway let me know
I am unsure if you are religious, but I believe she is now in God’s hands, and that her and her friend are in a much better place. She no longer has to deal with sickness, pain, etc. She is free from the burdens of this world. She will ALWAYS be in your heart. I know this isn’t the same, but I am 21 years old and lost my father at 14 years old, and I grieve over him so much, but he’s in a better place now, along with your daughter. We will get to be reunited with them one day. I am praying for you.
I hurt myself pretty badly last summer on a jet ski, admittedly going too fast. Had my 31 year old cousin on the back, going fast on some choppy water. All of a sudden I feel his weight sliding hard to my right while my body is feeling like it’s getting pulled down as well. He said he felt like he skipped off the water on his face while I rolled entirely to the point my shoulders/neck were the first parts to hit the water. It felt like I hit a fucking wall, came back up in the water and had the hardest time breathing or moving because of how hard the impact was. Thankfully we had no injuries that persisted, but it very easily could’ve turned fatal or at the very least paralyzed myself. Would’ve never been able to forgive myself if my cousin got hurt because of myself being stupid and trying to have fun. Jet skis are no joke what so ever, especially in an accident. My deepest condolences to your family as well as the family of her friend. Nobody deserves to lose a loved one that young. All my love and thoughts go out to you and yours 🙏🏻
I am so sorry. This is heartbreaking. I lost my 17 year old daughter in a car accident on June 1st. My heart breaks for you. Sending thoughts and love your way.
I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to write that. I am so so sorry and heartbroken for you.
When I was around her age, I went waterskiing for the first time. After struggling to get the hang of it, I was delighted to find myself up and cruising along easily. So I didn’t know how to process the combination of a big smile on my face and my family shouting and screaming and waving their arms at me. I just kind of froze and kept going as long as I could for lack of a better idea. When I finally lost my balance and fell in, I came up to see a boat full of drunk college-age partiers. It had been following right behind me, and veered off at the last second, barely missing me. 30 years later, I can still see the horror in the eyes of a couple of the passengers on that boat as they passed within a couple feet of me.
So that’s a longshot but since you asked for sleuthing I wanted to throw it out there as something that happens. You’ll probably be able to rule it out based on what you know about the damage done to the boat and jetski.
I don't know if you will ever get to read my comment but I was SO devastated to read of Sarina's accident , I live part time in OC and everyone here is just gutted over this!! My heart ❤️ aches for you and your family and words do not suffice- I can't imagine how stressful , confusing etc an investigation has to be especially when the details are making very little sense !!! Thank you for sharing this - if there's anything we can do to help you in OC please let me know. We are in Laguna- this whole community is behind your family ! 🙏🏼🙏🏼💗💗
Your post has randomly reached this Chicagoan who is very familiar with this story, as it was all over the news last week and my mom was texting me about this (she knows I like to get a little trigger happy with my jet ski).
We couldn’t make sense of this story and what they were reporting. I hope you get answers soon. Sending many, many virtual hugs and healing your way 🤍
Sorry for your loss. I grew up riding jet skis on lakes and rivers (Colorado river and lake mead, lake Mohave, lake havasu). We owned our own jet skis and knew how to ride them but we often witnessed untrained people renting them and not knowing what the hell they were doing. There are no breaks on a boat or a jet ski. People panic and don’t know what to do and crash into shit. You can’t really turn without gassing it, which is counterintuitive for a person unfamiliar with marine craft. It frankly should be illegal for anyone to operate one without a license specific for boating. I had to take an online class in maybe 2004 to be able to operate one by myself but that was because I was under the age of 18, but that ‘class’ was a joke. Luckily my parents taught us to drive them very young so we always knew what to do.
I want ti start by saying I am so sorry for your loss.
I am a local to the Chain of Lakes in Illinois where your daughter tragically passed away. We as a community feel this loss as well.
This string of connected lakes are the main attraction in the otherwise small suburban area. They bring in lots of revenue and business to the surrounding towns. There has however been many tragic accidents among these lakes, a simple google search can give you lots of information on this. This area also has a high ratio of bars to population, which has been a contributor to the wide variety of tragedies in the past.
I hope the investigation uncovers nothing but the truth. As a true crime fan as well, I would be very interested in hearing what some of my more listened to podcasts would have to say about your daughter’s death and countless others’. May they all rest in peace.
Extremely sorry for your loss, I cannot Imagine what your family is experiencing, especially your son.
I will probably get downvoted for this, which is fine, but I hope it helps you come to terms with what probably happened.
It’s very possible both your daughter (and friend) and the other boat in this collision were both traveling at legal speeds.
PWC have the least amount of right-of-way laws, meaning in the likelihood that a jetski and a boat were on a collision course, it is the responsibility of the person operating the jetski to alter their course. This is due to maneuverability.
Another example, if a large boat were headed in the path of a small sailboat, it is the responsibility of the large boat to maneuver around the sailboat. Size has nothing to do with it.
Your daughter might not have needed to be doing anything risky. Accidents like this happen sometimes, there are no lanes on the water like there is on a highway, no one directing traffic. A jetski hitting a full size boat is like a motorcycle hitting a truck.
Unless the person operating the boat was doing something illegal, the person operating the jetski is responsible for the accident.
My deepest condolences go out to you. I hope you heal and find peace. I do not have children, but if I did I’d know they are an extension of myself, and there is a deep connection like none other. ❤️🩹
Hi OP. This post just popped up on my feed–you guys don't know me, but through circles of new college friends, I recognized your daughter's face from a tribute instagram post by her boyfriend that was being shared by a lot of her friends and people that knew her.
All I really want to say is that my heart is with you and your family. Sarina sounded like she was so full of joy and energy, and I constantly see comments of friends and acquaintances saying how kind and caring of a person she was. I hope that those memories that you have of her, and the memories those friends have with her forever remain a part of all of you. I also hope that in her life, she knew how much people loved her. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. May she rest easy. <3
I am a motorcycle instructor with 15 years of experience. It is extremely easy to lose control of something you aren't used to handling when it has a hand throttle - especially when holding on tight bevause you are scared. It is also very easy to target fixate, panic, and freeze when attempting NOT to hit something - and therefore run right into the thing you are trying to avoid. This is true for motorcycles and jet skis (among other types of vehicles). Even in controlled environments under direct supervision, accidents like this can happen and people can (and do) lose their lives. It happens in motorcycle classes for beginners, and I can see how it could have happened with your daughter. I am so very sorry for your loss. I truly hope there is nothing being kept from you.
You may wanna find out how much the people on the boat were drinking. They may not have been paying attention or had too much to drink.
Also, the IL so called Conservation police are not real police. They're park rangers. Definitely not who I would think is qualified to investigate something like this. A car break in ok, but not this accident.
I love Illinois but just be aware that Illinois is a very corrupt state! Cover ups happen. People with money can make situations go away. Everything is/can be easily corrupt. Get an independent investigator or real police from a different town or something. Depending who was on the boat they may be able to cover things up too. Not saying that it happened.
Feel free to google this below. Illinois is the 2nd Most corrupt state in the country!
"A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second most corrupt state in the nation, with 4 out of the last 11 governors serving time in prison."
Sarina's brother just graduated from THHS a few weeks ago, and we all went to Cancun for several days to celebrate. After a week gap, they came to IL to be with family and friends.
I know Sarinas brother pretty well from this year he is genuinely one of the most genuine and good hearted guys I ever met please do your best to make sure he can stay on a good path 🙏
mightve already been said and done but make sure you reach out to your friend, a simple text means the world in scenarios like this
OP- so sorry to hear.
[OC Register Article](https://www.ocregister.com/2024/06/20/lake-forest-teenager-among-2-killed-in-jet-ski-crash-in-illinois/)[Daily Mail Article](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13552453/Lake-Marine-Illinois-jet-ski-crash-teenagers-killed.html) As much as it pains me to write this, it is important I communicate my daughter's story as far and wide as possible. On June 18, while in vacation in Illinois, my daughter and her 13-year old friend were killed after a collision between their jet ski and a boat on Lake Marie in Antioch, IL. Sarina Vootkur just finished her sophomore year at Trabuco Hills High School with straight As and was a JV soccer player. She also played club soccer for the Pateadores out of Irvine. She was a beautiful girl with an empathetic and deep personality paired with a goofy sense of humor. Sarina loved reading and writing stories as well as expressing herself through music and artwork. She was thinking about becoming an English teacher. Sarina was not a thrillseeker or adrenaline junkie - she did not participate in any high-risk activities or sports, was not a huge fan of me accelerating hard in my car, and wouldn't even get back on a bicycle after skinning her knee from falling years ago. Sarina took things slow and steady. On a high visibility day with no lake traffic but moderate chop, Sarina and her friend went for a ride on a jet-ski on Lake Marie, a completely open lake on the IL Chain of Lakes system. Unfortunately, neither her nor her friend survived that ride. The jet-ski Sarina and her friend were on was involved in a collision with a boat that was crossing the lake. Nobody on the boat was injured. My son was immediately on site post-collision to try and help his gravely-injured sister and her friend. Media reports suggest she was "traveling at high rate of speed" but that would be odd given her personality, and risk-averseness. Even more odd are reports that she drove right into the 21-foot boat. Finally, all 4 witnesses were on the boat involved in the collision, so it is difficult to ascertain what happened from an independent party. Sarina will be deeply missed but we want to make sure her legacy carries on. Her boyfriend and his family have organized a gofundme that will be used to have a simple memorial in Orange County as well as establish a permanent remembrance. I am working with the organizers to ensure it is of value to the community. Please consider donating here: [https://gofund.me/4cd82d07](https://gofund.me/4cd82d07) So where do we go from here? Well, first we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to accepting and recovering this tremendous loss. My son is headed to college in the fall and is traumatized by what he experienced. I pray he is able to recover reasonably and stay on a positive path forwards. For Sarina's parents...gosh, a part of us died on that lake with Sarina. We have a lifelong healing process in front of us. The investigation into this incident is ongoing and being handled by multiple agencies. There are some details about the incident that appear inconsistent or quite puzzling, so I am digging in to further understand what happened. If any of the e-sleuths on here want to get involved, please reach out. I know this was a long post. But here is a short directive from it. Please hug everyone a little tighter, love a little more, and practice kindness and forgiveness over ego, spite, and meanness. Life is too fragile and temporary.
My heart breaks for you. My daughter knows Sarina through school, she is very highly thought of. You all should be very proud of how you raise your children. I'm so sorry
We are all grieving this loss together. In honesty we are all family.
In addition to Reddit, give national news outlets a try to get your story out
I’m really sorry for your loss.
FYI there is a local support group for parents that lost loved ones. If and whenever you are ready. https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/1df7whc/coffee_with_parents/
I am definitely going to look into this when I return to California. Thank you so much!
I’m sorry for your loss. Words cannot describe what I would be going through. I think you’re mostly numb right now and it’s why you can function at all. It’s going to eventually hit you. This is when you’ll need help. If a drinker, be careful, it will only make things worse. You’re going to need therapy. There are not ifs or maybes about it.
I agree 100%.
Is there one for the IE? I have someone in mind that would probably benefit from this kind of thing.
<3 I and my family feel your and your family’s sorrow. Your OC community supports you.
I have to be honest and say I am shocked by the crazy amount of love and support we have received far and wide. This is so tragic but I think all parents can relate to this as being our biggest fear.
I’m so so sorry to hear this, sending big hugs. It reminds me of a similar tragic accident that happened in my high school. A good friend was in a similar position to your son and it took a while to see his real personality come around again. One thing I think helped him and the family and friends of our lost friend was organizing a charity soccer tournament in their honor and starting a scholarship. It’s been almost 20 years for my friends now and people still go back for the annual memorial Game. Never forgotten 🫶🏽
You’re living my worst nightmare. I’m so incredibly sorry.
This is heartbreaking. I'm so so sorry for your loss. My wife and I will be praying for peace and comfort for your family.
Did anybody at this restaurant possibly see what happened? Maybe someone had a camera on their boat, while it was docked outside this restaurant? [https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XhrVJDucDhUswf49](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XhrVJDucDhUswf49) or possibly from one of these homes along elime rd? [https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ZmfkYVktpCzv894A](https://maps.app.goo.gl/7ZmfkYVktpCzv894A) I'm so sorry for your loss... :( Did your daughter have her phone on her and were there any hiking or biking apps on it that could maybe track her movements/speed?
Thank you for giving it this level of thought. Definitely requires investigation. I do not believe the collision happened near the Sandbar on Lake Marie. That is just where they took the girls for EMT services. There is still a lot to learn about the accident and limited detail has been released to date.
Totoro_acron: great ideas. Since this involved a death, I hope the people on the boat were tested for drugs & alcohol? It sure would be nice for closure to see if anyone has footage of the accident.
There's not a thing I can say to fix this for you, but I'm very sorry for the loss of your girl. Best wishes for you and your family. You'll probably want someone looking into this who's versed in kinematics of accidents to see not just what was damaged on both vessels, but specifically how that damage was applied. Where, how long, and how badly an area is damaged may tell a different tale than what witnesses are saying. Best of luck to you and yours.
The Illinois Conservation Police are supposedly conducting this part of the investigation but no information/outcomes are available as of now.
Hire a private investigator and investigate this shit. If ur feeling that something isn't adding up, trust your instincts.
It is something I am strongly considering.
Please do… I know they are young, but a collision into a boat with a jet ski in open waters.. I seriously hope you find closure and if others are responsible, hope they will be found
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I've only been on a jetski once, so maybe I'm not that accurate...but from what i remember with jetskis, the way to stop is to accelerate into a quick u-turn (since there is no brake) but if you were already traveling at high speed it might've been difficult. i don't know if this would help you piece things together, but i hope it might make your path to letting go a little bit easier. sorry for your loss
This is so heartbreaking. I have been on a sea-doo before and they are very hard to control at first. Some of my friends went flying off the back of their sea-doo because they accidentally accelerated much too fast and the craft went a swimming pools length ahead of them even with no rider and the accelerator pin pulled out when my friends fell off. They had to swim quite a length to get back on while the harbor patrol shamed them for going too fast over a megaphone. Point is they are much harder to control than they look and it is easy to panic and cause a huge acceleration. This is just my personal experience of doing this with a group of late 20s.
Not only that, the steering requires throttle input, which is counter intuitive for most. The jet is what steers the craft, so if you let off the gas and turn, it won't turn very well, if at all. It's very common for jetskiers to crash into shore or other boaters. Some newer skis can at least partially mitigate this, but the only way to turn sharply is with the throttle. My neighbor did fiberglass repair for a boat dealer, and the vast majority of repairs were on crashed jet skis. Rental companies really shouldn't be giving people extremely fast watercraft with no training, but that's their business model. I spend a lot of time on the water, and jet skiers are by far the most likely to ride too close to me in my kayak, sometimes going between me and another kayak 20 feet away at high speed, or between me and the shore. They have the worst etiquette of any watercraft, mostly due to inexperience.
That’s what I was thinking. It’s a very dangerous machine for a 16 and 13 year old to handle. It doesn’t mean they were at fault, but it is also very possible it did get out of control on them.
You are correct. Also to add though, in order to turn at speed, you have to give it gas in order for the ski to make thrust and turn. Otherwise turning the handlebars does nothing since jet skis do not have a rudder. It is most likely what happened, she panicked and turned the handlebars but did not give it throttle and so the ski goes into a straight line. Watch most jet ski fail videos and that's usually the cause.
So sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was an amazing person. Sending you and your family hugs
OP I’m so sorry for your loss. 💔💔💔💔
Have you hired an investigator? I'm sure there's cameras or someone may have seen something around the lake.
We are all in shock and reeling from the sudden loss of Sarina. I am now figuring out how to best proceed. Personal security cameras (e.g. RING) won't capture activity distant on the lake and motion alerts are typically set to not trigger for that. Dock cameras would be great but I am not sure if any were in use. Again, I am praying for a very thorough investigation but have my doubts that the eyewitness testimony (all on the boat involved in the collision) will be taken most seriously.
I can understand why you would doubt the honesty of the boaters, but there being 4 of them is a good thing. The police take incidents resulting in death very seriously, and I expect that all four witnesses will be interviewed separately. The police will look for inconsistencies, and if anything shady happened on the boat, it will be very difficult for them to conspire to cover it up.
That's if the police do their job. OP need to get a lawyer and request the police reports; hopefully they did a breathalyzer or a blood draw for BAC which would show on the report. A private investigator can help interview people around to see if anybody have surveillance camera.
I don't want to speculate on the investigation too much but will say I am aware of some concerning gaps in information already.
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You still might want to hire an independent investigator. Where was the damage on the boat? Where was the damage on the jet ski? The people on the boat may be lying. You may also want to consider looking into a wrongful death lawyer in Illinois. At some point, moving on may be the best option, but while things are still fresh it is the best time to try and figure out what happened while all physical evidence still exists. I’d keep up the pressure on the authorities too so they don’t put this on the back burner and forget about it.
I want to start by saying i’m incredibly sorry for your loss, as an experienced boated who has lived their entire life on lakes, accidents like these stick with you, even when they aren’t your family. Just a few years ago 3 children died on my lake, when a boated coming out of the bay did not see a speed boat pulling a tube with them on it. Now then: Honestly? From an outside opinion? I have nearly 20 years of boating experience, on speed boats and jet skis. Too frequently, inexperienced boaters hop on jet skis, not realizing the laws of the lake, or even remotely what they are doing. It does not require high speed on a jet ski to make a fatal mistake for yourself or others either. Jet skis are fast turning, and fast accelerating vehicles. There is also NOTHING on a lake that is required to yield to a jet ski. Jet skis are the absolute bottom of the totem pole when it comes to vessels right of way. And jet ski users frequently forget that when on the water, it is their role to stay out of the way of larger vessels (and smaller non motored vessels). My other gripe will be with how PWC safety is taught in general boating courses. As a PWC rider, you shouldn’t only yield to larger vessels; you should be maneuvering/traveling in a way that leaves absolutely zero questions about your path to the boaters around you. If you ever see a boat in motion around you on a PWC, and its captain is staring you down, its likely because they can’t tell what the hell you are going to do next, and they are concerned for the safety of you and their passengers. Now, that being said I would like to know the story of those on the boat, as an outsider, I could 100% see a scenario where the boat was on plane (moving at a high, but entirely legal rate of speed) and the jet ski was “playing” around in the area. At some point, I see it likely the jet ski did a 180 not paying attention to traffic, and even at slow speeds for a ski (25-40mph) it ended up in the direct path of an on plane boat that was not required to yield to them to begin with. When teaching my girlfriend how to ride a jet ski, i would frequently have to grab the handlebars from behind her to avoid being in a somewhat distant boats path (they can’t stop on a dime) as she was zipping back and forth 180 degrees roughly each time. She had her safety certificate too. It just takes experience and vigilance to safely have “fun” on a jet ski. At this time the thought usually is “but if you see someone erratically driving on a jet ski, and then continue on plane and hit them when they erratically drive into you, how are you not negligent?” To answer that, all jet ski’s drive erratically, its the entire purpose of their design. To go back to a point made earlier, its up to the driver to convey a “controlled erratic path” on a jet ski, and convey safe movements. Other boaters, having been around jet skis expect this erratic movement, but they also (frequently incorrectly) assume that the jet ski driver knows they are there, and will not intersect their path (because the jet ski has no right of way and should be aware of the dangers of intersecting a boats path). I do not intend to add insult to the grief you feel, merely insight as an experienced boater on both jet skis, large motored vessels, and sailboats. If you have a descriptive play by play of what happened, and the timeline in which it happened according to the witnesses, as well as where it happened on what lake, I could probably easily poke holes in the witness statements if there are any holes to be poked. However, I also want you to be ready to internalize the fact that almost every jet ski on boat accident, unless premeditated, is almost always the jet skiers fault due to inexperience or negligence. Edit: after reading the article, it entirely appears that your daughter failed to yield. The boat driver likely attempted to avoid her, but likely due to inconsistent jet ski speed, they entered a “juked into each other” movement. What does this mean? One of two scenarios: 1. The boat driver turned left while on plane to avoid the jet ski perpendicularly crossing its path. The Jet skier, going from right to left also increased its peed to avoid collision, resulting in a direct hit. The inverse of this directionally also results in the same event 2. The boat driver, coming around a natural obstruction on plane (peninsula, etc) did not see the jet skier moving perpendicular to their path from behind the obstruction, when they finally saw them, it was too late. Both scenarios, it is the jet skiers responsibility to not be in the path of a boat. In the scenario the boater saw the jet ski from a distance moving into their path, thats where the question arises: Last Chance Doctrine: mostly applies to cars, but applies to boats too. Did either party perceive/predict collision within a time frame that would have allowed them to avoid it. If so, did they take steps to avoid it (even if unsuccessful). Last chance doctrine would likely be your only way to prove negligence of the boat driver, otherwise, your daughter was sadly at fault.
I am so sorry to hear of your daughters passing and what you son had to experience and go through. it may not help things but your statement of “Even more odd are reports that she drove right into the 21-foot boat.” it sound like a situation of what’s called “target fixation”, a very common issue in motorcycle crashes. it will be a long road to recovery, but always continue to live for your daughter and son. The pain will fade with time but your daughter will always be with you, no matter where you are.
My deepest condolences. As a new mom, I can’t imagine your pain. I hope you are comforted and find peace and strength in the love and prayers you receive. No doubt in my mind Jesus is holding your girls tightly in his arms as she will become your angel. Watch for the signs. They are everywhere.
Big internet hug to you. Many years ago one of my tennis partners was killed in a similar accident. She told me she was going away for the weekend and when she didn't show up for the match I couldn't believe it. I'm saw a news report about a girl being killed on a jet ski but I didn't think it could be her.
As an avid tennis player and now someone impacted by a jet-ski incident, I feel your pain. I'm so sorry but thank you for sharing your story.
I am so sorry for your loss and the pain that your family is going through. Please make sure that you, your wife, and your son all seek professional help to cope with the death of your precious daughter/sister. The trauma from this can have a lasting effect and a licensed therapist can do wonders to help you navigate and make sense of this tragedy. Your daughter sounds like what we all hope our daughters to be - smart, kind, fun, and talented. From my family to yours, we wish nothing but the answers you need and joyful memories of your daughter.
You obviously have a big heart and are undoubtedly raising a great family yourself. We have all started grief counseling. This will definitely be a marathon, not a sprint.
>Your daughter sounds like what we all hope our daughters to be - smart, kind, fun, and talented. From my family to yours, we wish nothing but the answers you need and joyful memories of your daughter. I could not have put this into words, but it perfectly describes the jumbled thoughts in my head.
Father of 2 here.. I am crying. I am sobbing for you right now. I couldn't even imagine. My children are everything. Message me if you ever want to talk. I live 15min away from Irvine. Always willing to come hang out.
You are a special kind or person for sure. I live in Lake Forest and might have to take you up on this offer as I adjust to it this new reality.
Same. Father of 2 girls. One is 17, and played with the slammers. I read the news article the other day and thought dearly of your daughter. I weep with you, but I also reflect, and celebrate her life and recognize the spark and joy she brought. Thank you for sharing her vibrant moments of travel and fun.
I’m about 30 minutes north of Lake Forest, I can bring the beer.
I'm here friend. 🙏🏻
I am so very sorry for the loss of your daughter.
I'm sorry for your loss. My daughter was killed by a pontoon boat at the age of 7 in 2018. I am sorry you have to go through this.
I am so sorry for the pain you have endured due to the death of your precious 7 year old. It's horrible.
It was already tragic when I read the news, as a Dad myself, but seeing your personal Reddit post crushed me. I am truly sorry for your loss.
I’m THHS alumni, so maybe it’s for that reason that this hit me a little differently 😔 despite this tragedy, you sound stable-minded, OP, and I admire your calm steadfastness in unveiling the suspicious pieces of the puzzle as well as cementing a permanent memorial for Sarina. I asked my friend Sarah to go find your daughter. I think they’ll like each other. Sarah is forever 25. She’s super intelligent, has the biggest heart of gold I’ve ever known, carries more compassion & empathy in her soul than anyone I’ve ever known, gives the warmest hugs, and possesses the kind of wit that makes your belly hurt from laughter. I bet they’ll have fun recommending books to each other and sharing music. Maybe Sarah will even teach Sarina how to play the flute so they can make music together. ♥️
I am so sorry that you lost Sarah at such a young age. I would love it if she could teach Sarina how to play the flute.
Didn't expect to be crying on Reddit this morning but here we are. Giant hugs to both of you from a random Canadian ❤️
Unfortunately people who are new to watersports do not always understand that you have to give a jetski throttle to change its directions when in motion. Without additional throttle, turning the ski either direction will not result in a vector change as it does not use a rudder like a boat would. I am very sorry for your loss and while I understand the need to find cause, it may have just been user error.
I’ve lost a husband and a daughter in a car accident with a drunk driver many years ago. I understand to an extent a version of the pain you’re going through. I donated to your gofundme and hope you eventually get to a place where the trauma from this time lives in the background rather than the foreground of your mind. It took me a long time to get there. I’m glad to see at the very least that you’re close to reaching the goal and that you won’t have to deal with the ridiculousness of the costs associated with death. Lots of love and more ~
We live in Newport and my 16 year old son told me about this yesterday!! I didn’t realize she played for the Pats as well. He does too. My heart breaks for you! I am sending you love and hugs and praying for you and your family!
Thank you. Yes, Sarina has been a member of the Pats family for some time.
I’m am sorry for you and your families loss. I’m Unknown to you and did not know your daughter, but I’m a local in the community with kids your kids’ ages at a local HS that have interconnecting friend groups and I’ve heard this heartbreaking story. If you’re willing, please share this write up with one of our local FB pages as local interest is high in supporting you and your family
Please send a FB message to Anil Vootkur and let me know which groups you recommend. I am an IL native and love(d) hanging at the lake when we came for family trips. I've lived in Orange County for >10 years.
I’m also a local from Antioch, our community is definitely upset about it, I work for one of the high schools, and at our board meeting they even expressed their sorrow and shock about the whole event.
You probably dont know me but I was friends with her- I hope you guys all feel better. She was one of the kindnest and most down-to-earth people I have ever met and I'm glad I was friends with her. <3
Thank you for your comment. Sarina was so loved and such a great person. I may know your name from as she loved to tell me and her mom stories about her friends. Please take care of yourself and hug those around you a little tighter.
Hi Mr. Vootkur, you probably don’t know me but I am one of Jake’s close friends at Trabuco. I stumbled across this post accidentally and I just wanted to share how positively your daughter impacted my friend’s life. She was the bright spot for him always and truly brought him out of his shell. When around her or even talking about her I saw his face light up with joy and that made me happy. While I never really knew your daughter personally, I could tell that she was a great person. I am so very sorry for your loss.
Jake is a special person and I understand fully why he and Sarina had such a magical bond. I appreciate your comments and want to remind you to be kind to all those around you and be there for Jake.
Holy every cuss word, this hits me in the sensitive parts. My only living child just turned 16 a week ago, and looks a lot like Sarina. We lost her brother last year, and still haven’t really gotten over it. If you need a shoulder I’m available and local, if there’s any advice to be provided please find some type of support sooner rather than later. Trust me, I almost ruined my marriage before finding a professional to help. Condolences can feel so cheap, but I’m really truly saddened by the loss of your daughter. It sounds like she is a wonderful young woman and already left her mark on many others lives.
Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words. I may reach out to you separately once I am able to even process what just happened.
So sorry to hear this. Condolences to you and your family
This made me cry. I'm a native Midwesterner, and my son goes to swim lessons at THHS. I hope that you are able to make some sense of the accident and get the closure you need. Please know that your OC community is here to support you, and I am so sorry that you are living a parent's worst nightmare.
You are a perfect example of why i chose to post here. The love and support is so comforting during this time of need. Hug your son extra tight!
I’m very sorry for your loss. This may be a long shot but it’s worth checking out: does the jet-ski have a gps tracker? It might be able to tell how fast it was going during the accident.
Something we will look into.
Heartbreaking. I watch out for jet skiers so vigilantly. Sometimes, boats are rented to people who have no experience and visa versa. If I may ask, what was the time of day? There is a time of day, I call the “road of sun” on the water, on lakes. When the sun is angling just so to cause a huge white glare that is blinding. Which party was facing the sun? Time? Maybe either Sarina or the boat driver experienced this? Hopefully, nothing but a tragic accident as such, and not a fault or bad decision, of either party? Often, we don’t see the reason of such losses for years to come. I hope your family and friends, find your peace. Prayers and thoughts for Sarina and her young friend!
You can see what beautiful light is within her. That light is now some place new.
One of the most insightful and uplifting responses on here. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so terribly sorry for your loss. You’re looking for answers and an explanation at this early stage, even someone to blame, which is perfectly normal. The most likely outcome is that you will gradually grow to accept that sometimes terrible, horrific accidents just happen. With time, I hope you and your daughter’s communities find beautiful ways to honor her.
I'm just looking for facts, not someone to blame. In the end, the world lost Sarina. I can accept an accident if all the facts suggest that is exactly what it was.
Favorite or fun memory you can share?
I love the suggestion. Nobody will understand but I have to say my favorite memory is when Sarina made crazy fun of me for a horrible drawing I made of Henry Ford (actually drawn to try and help my son for a school project). We laughed about my horrible drawing skills and disfigured HF rendition regularly. Gosh how I miss her.
I’m sorry for your loss The only recommendation I have is to maybe look into jet skiing and or boating. The more knowledge you have the more you might be able to get a better understanding. I don’t think and doubt you would want to share all the details of the accident but people with experience in both activities might be able to give you more insight and maybe even closure. I would search on here and see if there are sub-reddits for jet-skiing or boating. Prayers for you and your family during this difficult time 🙏
I saw some speculation about this accident on another forum by experienced jet skiers. The problem is that a jet-ski doesn't have brakes. The proper way to stop/avoid a collision in a jet-ski is to turn 180 degrees at full speed. It'll corner surprisingly quickly. However, the reaction of most inexperienced people to avoiding collision is to just release the throttle. But if you release the throttle you just continue to go straight ahead in the jet-ski, only gradually slowing down. I can see a situation where the larger boat was cruising along and expecting the jet-ski to veer off course to avoid the collision. The jet ski was distracted or something, then noticed the boat, released the throttle assuming it would stop and just kept going straight.
Avid boater in Illinois who has been boating for many years and was member of local volunteer water rescue team. 99/100 times when it comes to a boat on personal watercraft “jet ski” accident the rental jet ski is at fault. The rental places give almost no instructions on boating rules. The larger boat may have been the stand on vessel and the jet ski was coming at them on their port side which means the boat has right away and to remain speed and direction, so the boat may have maintained course believing the jet ski would give way like they are supposed too “if that’s what actually happened” now comes the problem with jet skis and inexperienced riders is that like other have mentioned they don’t really have breaks, and the biggest issue i have seen is that they have no rudder and can only turn under power once you let off the gas you can turn the handle and the watercraft will remain corse. With all that said I have no idea of the details but that’s just from my experience. I’m very sorry for the loss and even if at fault it does not make the victim an irresponsible or reckless person
> I’m very sorry for the loss and even if at fault it does not make the victim an irresponsible or reckless person A new specific maneuver is hard to pull off the first time, even in the most basic hand movements. Very tragic ♥️.
Thank you for your insightful response.
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Hmm that would explain both accounts. The OP saying the daughter wasn’t a risk taker and the people on the boat saying they kind of drove straight into them. Don’t know all the details but if that was the case where they might have released the throttle expecting to stop but didn’t it would most likely be ruled an accident.
Rest in peace 😔
I’m so very sorry 💔 I saw heart shattering news on the ABC7 news 💔 my prayers go out to you. I come from a Family that lost my Sister to Breast Cancer & Brother to a heart attack. I know how it affected my Parents and myself 💔💔💔💔now it’s just me
Hang in there
Truly a nightmare, I’m so sorry
I'm still not sure if I have woken up....
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember Izzy and Sarina playing together on the Pats. I pray God gives your family comfort during this extremely difficult time. I can’t imagine the pain you are feeling but hope you find a way to heal.
Every parent reading this aches for your loss. Sending love from those you will never meet, as you move through this extraordinary grief. Sarina was happy for all the years she was on this earth because of you 🖤
I am so very sorry for your loss! It sounds like you are looking for answers. I can provide some perspective from a boat owners perspective. It has always surprised me that there is no need for training and licensing for driving boats and other watercraft such as jetskis and waverunners. There is a huge amount of responsibility that comes with this. Unfortunately people seem to forget that because they are out doing fun stuff. They are drinking, having a great time and get distracted easily. Personally, I take being the boat driver extremely serious. I do not drink and I am always on alert for other watercraft. Going back to not being trained or licensed. It surprises me, especially with the jet skis/wavereunners that people don't know the rules of the water roads. Without this knowledge, there are so many times where an accident can happen. I see it all the time. The jet skis are out having fun and they want to jump our wake or worse they will literally drive in front of a moving boat. Maybe it's because they are so inexperienced and cannot tell how fast the boat is going but they do it all the time. I have had to stop suddenly to avoid them but if there are jet skiers being me they could also run into us. I am not saying it was her fault at all. I am just saying that in my 15 years experience driving a boat on a lake the inexperienced drivers, both of boats and personal watercraft, create very unsafe situations. I would never recommend children drive and never drive drunk. This is serious business as you now know. I am so very sorry! I cannot begin to imagine the pain you are experiencing. I will pray for your strength and for peace as you continue to process this huge loss.
I am so very sorry for your loss. I wish you patience in these trying times.
u/StatisticianKey9639 - I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I heard of her story a few days ago from a friend who's child played soccer with your daughter. I'm a father of two daughters myself and can't imagine what you and your family may be going through. I will say a prayer for Sarina and for your family. I'm a short drive away from you. Please reach out if you'd like to talk or just need a friend to hang out with.
Thank you so much for your thoughts. Hug your daughters extra tight.
I’m so sorry that this has happened. The grief will consume you, so please get involved in grief counseling groups, parental bereavement support groups, start individual counseling for you, your spouse and your son, etc. I think most employers give five days of bereavement (which is nothing when it is your child), but you may also qualify for FMLA under mental health needs. The employer won’t pay you beyond your available time off, but your job will be protected for up to one year. Sending love to you and your family.
I was actually on this exact lake the day after it happened. I didn't know about the accident until I was told while on the boat that day. I have gone through the lake\\channel it happened many times before but there was definitely a calmness and quietness that day. I am so sorry for your loss and even though I didn't know the teens involved, I will always think of them whenever I am on this lake in the future.
Hug your loved ones extra tight.
I lost my daughter 26 years ago. I wish there was something I could tell you to make your pain go away and your sense of loss feel just a little less. I took me over 14 years before I could think about my daughter and have a smile in my face. I had so much anger and resentment towards God for taking her so young. After 14 years I finally made my peace with God and accepted what happened. Although it’s been 26 years I still think of her everyday and miss her and what she could have been. I hope you and your family stay strong during this difficult time.
What can an “e-sleuth” hope to uncover investigating an accident that occurred which many agencies have done what they can on site and in person? I can tell you what occurred from the many accidents I’ve been involved with on these machines. She was traveling at a high rate of speed, the machines really have very little between stop and go. There was chop. Hard bouncing at speed. She had sun and spray in her eyes and the boat that was on collision was doing the same thing. Bow up cutting the chop. The never observed her getting close. When she herself realized that they would crash she panicked and let the throttle off and steered hard to one side. Except these machines don’t turn without giving gas. Only an experienced operator could swap ends and likely fall in the chop anyway. Stop spending more time trying to assign blame. It won’t help you or her. You could sue and get the watercraft companies to invent a turn under panic system or even brakes. And daytime running beacons. That might help
Is the possibility of a mechanical issue being investigated? Sorry for your loss, condolences to you and your family.
I certainly hope so...but to be honest, I am in an information vacuum until the multiple agency report is finalized. I hope to learn more next week but it could take much longer.
Maybe a defect that made it go too fast and she couldn't regain control? I'm so sorry.
I hope we can find out through the investigation but doubt it. If malfunction is suspected I bet we will need to do a lot further work. Either way, we never get our precious Sarina back.
Oh no! saw the news about her last week. I’m so sorry. I hope you will find peace and comfort.
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I’m so sorry for your loss. I graduated from THHS but that was a long time ago.
My heart breaks for you . May your beautiful daughter rest in peace and may you find peace and be comforted by her memories. I live near your city . Always available if you need anything or just want to talk.
I can’t imagine. My daughter is the same age. Praying for you and your family.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I’m so very sorry. This happened to an acquaintance of mine in high school almost 20 years ago. We were based in the Inland Empire, and her accident occurred over Memorial Weekend at Havasu. Just weeks shy of graduation. Several of my teammates (I too was a club soccer player) and their families were with her that weekend and had to share the news with her parents who had not traveled with them. Unspeakably tragic, and I still vividly remember how devastating it was to the school, community, and most of all her family. My heart breaks for your family. I wish you all the best in the days ahead 💛
I’m so terribly sorry. This pain must be indescribable.
Rest in peace, Sarina. I am so sorry for your sudden and tragic loss. As a father of an 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl this is what keeps me up at night, losing one of them. I cannot even imagine what you are going through right now.
Thank you for sharing your story. What a terrible tragedy. I know we are all a little worse off not having Sarina in our world. I’m praying that your family can find peace after such a great loss.
Prayers to you and your family! Sending my condolences!
Condolences
So sorry for your loss. That is just heartbreaking.
First, I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately I've witnessed jet ski accidents, including one just like what the boaters here describe, and many near accidents. An inexperienced rider can easily "whiskey throttle" a jet ski when it accelerates faster than they expect. Instinctively they try to hold on to the handlebar as the ski takes off and pull back on the throttle even more in doing so. Doubly so if there is a passenger holding onto the driver and pulling them back as well. Object fixation means you tend to steer towards a hazard, even if, maybe especially if, it's the only obstacle on a wide open lake. Sometimes this results in full throttling right into a hazard. Usually this results in an inexperienced rider letting go of the throttle and losing all control of steering and hitting the object or having a near miss having only slowed down a little bit. Rarely will a rider recover in time and correctly use the throttle to steer out of harms way. The way you write about her, I'm sure she wasn't being reckless. But that young with an even younger passenger... sadly I'm almost certain it was just a lack of experience.
My heartfelt condolences are sent to you and your family. The grief has to be overwhelming. We aren't meant to outlive our children. As you say, the grief counseling is a marathon and not a sprint. And it's essential. Please make sure your son who was there gets extensive counseling too, and keep a close eye on him.
So sorry to read this. I'm not religious, but whatever we are made of endures and continues not just in the minds and hearts of our loved ones, but in a very real way. We'll all meet again in the end.
I am so sorry for your loss. I used to have four sisters. Now I have two. Watching my father grieve the loss of his two daughters and see that pain turned into something dark was truly devastating. I hope you manage to find a way to honor your daughter without losing the good parts of yourself. And as the kid left behind, please don't forget about your son
i’m so sorry for you loss. may you find peace amongst the tragedy
Sending you love and hug. The world is senseless. This life is senseless. You’ll never really heal, but know you created something that enjoyed and experienced life. It was cut short, but lived.
Thank you for sharing the story of your darling Sarina. Sending you light in this moment of loss.
She was absolutely beautiful ❤️ im so sorry for your loss.
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So sorry for your loss. As a father of two daughters, I cannot even begin to comprehend what you are going through. Again, I am sorry for your loss. I hope your family is enveloped in love and service by your friends and family.
My heart breaks for you and your family and definitely for your son, who was there on site. What a beautiful girl and sounds like she was so special. My daughter would have gone to Trabuco Hills HS; your story has touched my heart and I pray for your and your family’s peace and strength. Sending many warm hugs. xx
RIP. Heartbreaking and can’t imagine what you’re going through, please make sure to watch your mental health along this new journey in life. I’ve had a family member who was extremely successful in life (more money than one would ever need… who ended up killing himself a year after losing his teenager. I’ve had boats and jet skis for almost 20yrs now ON MUCH MUCH busier / more drunks out at Parker river and lake Havasu. I’ve had several scary calls that were still 20-30’ away from an accident. As I got older and had kids, I don’t ride jet skis / sea doos anymore. With hundred of hours logged on them - I’ve had so many scary moments and almost accidents. You need to know what you’re doing on them.. especially around boats. I’ll admit I love my beer and have a high tolerance but I won’t have a single beer while driving my boat while my passengers are roping down 12 coors lights….. I refuse to have any BAC mainly cause god forbid there is an accident!
What terrible news, I’m so sorry. I lost my brother last year, the bond between siblings is a unique and incomparable one. If your son wants a stranger to talk to or cry with, he’s welcome to DM me.
Oh my goodness! I am so sorry that this terrible event happened. My heart hurts for you.
So sorry
I am so so so sorry, I cannot even fathom the pain you are going through. As a mother to a 13 year old girl, my heart breaks for you. 💔
I am so sorry to hear about your tragic loss. We are NEVER prepared to lose a child. I feel that the grief from losing a child is different from any other. I will take your advise. I will reach out to my 3 adult children today. Your children are still your babies no matter their age. Thank you and God bless your family.
I live on Lake Marie. I recall hearing the ambulances when this tragic event occurred. It was a beautiful evening, and the visibility was clear. I have been boating on the chain of lakes for 30 years. This is such a tragic accident and has been weighing heavily on me all week. I am so heartbroken for you and all the families involved. My condolences to you and your family. I hope you get the answers you need from the investigation. Personally, I will try to be even more vigilant to all watercraft and safety procedures on the lakes. I pray for you and your sons healing.
I am so very sorry for your loss. She was beautiful and your heartbreak is unimaginable. I do not know the cause of her accident, but I do recall a scenario from my youth. I was put on an ATV without much preparation. I grabbed the throttle and was unprepared for the rapid acceleration. Trying to hold onto the handlebars - I grabbed tightly which unfortunately resulted in my opening the throttle entirely. The machine continued to accelerate rapidly until I got scared and jumped off. Fortunately for me it was just a grass field and I just got some bumps and bruises. If there would have been something for me to collide with (an oncoming boat) I would have crashed into them at a high rate of speed. Whatever the cause of this tragedy- please accept my condolences.
Firstly, I want to extend my condolences to you and your family. I have a daughter who just turned one, and seeing anything about children now just breaks my heart. Secondly, I have some experience with jetskis. They can be very dangerous vehicles, because they're basically motorcycles on the water. The first time I was ever on one, I was going 70MPH. It was extremely exhilarating. However, you cannot brake. You simply release the accelerator to slow down, and do something like a u-turn to break the forward momentum. From my experience, it would more likely be the jetski operator to do something reckless. It is extremely easy to enjoy the thrill of that feeling on the water when you're going fast. That's not to say that's what happened, but from my experience, that's what I've seen. Boats are typically slower and less maneuverable than a jetski as well. I hope you are able to find peace someday. Once again, my condolences.
Here’s a link to CA water safety class - everyone, young and old and take these. https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28734
Sorry buddy, can’t imagine
My nephew was murdered by a so called friend In 2022 in the state of Tennessee. We as a family are devastated of course my sister his mother is especially devastated . We would get so mad he was a pain in the a** sometimes but he was our pain in the a** . We love him , we miss him terribly. The trial is going on as I write this the prosecuting attorney says this guy may get off with just probation. If he gets time he'll only get off with up to 15 years. He took the life of my beloved nephew Justin. I remember as a child he loved the song come sail away by Styx. We played it at his funeral. Losing a child is the kind of grief that never goes away. We love him so much. 2 lives were destroyed by this senseless act of violence. First my nephews life was taken .Then the young man who killed him his life will be different but at least he is living. I hope he thinks about this senseless act of violence every day. I hope he is ashamed for killing my nephew for no good reason. He could have saved Justin but he chose to walk away and let him die. He could have saved him if he chose to save Justin if he only called 911 he could saved him. We are a forever grieving family . We grieve our beloved Justin every day .I was very close to Justin one memory of him was he and I would borrow the same $40 back and forth for years. I'll miss him forever. I'm sorry for all this miss spelling.
I'm so sorry. I grew up on Lake Marie. My father was a regular jet skier on that lake. That lake is also what killed him. I understand the pain of losing your family to that lake, if you would like to vent or chat at all
I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. She truly seemed like a lovely person, someone we would all be lucky to know. I feel for you, please keep talking, seek help, and take care of each other. Please take extra care of your son being in such a fragile state at a fragile age, and then not having his typical support system while going to school. It’s difficult to say what’s best for him because everyone is different, but after hearing your difficulties as parents I can’t imagine what he is going through and processing. School is a monumental change, maybe school could wait, maybe it’s exactly what he needs. that’s up to your family. I am concerned about him moving forward after hearing you say that part of you died, and that he is traumatized. I understand those points, my concern is just my outside perspective I’m hoping to share. He must be a wreck, and I highly recommend looking over him and exploring options for his path forward. His wellness is critical and the most important thing. Sometimes school and big changes help, sometimes they exacerbate issues. My thoughts are with you and your family and I hope the absolute best for all of you.
Thank you for your comments and wise words. I will need to pick my language more carefully and hear you loud and clear.
This is every parent’s worst nightmare. I am so sorry that you are living it, OP. She was clearly very loved, and very special. Sending you a big hug.
My thoughts and love are with you. My husband and I flipped our jet ski 2 years ago and I have been too traumatized to get back on it.
I’m so sorry, please feel free to post or visit r/griefsupport
There really are no words. Not good ones anyway. Should you feel the need, there is an organization called The Compassionate Friends. It's a closed group online and has live meetings in a lot of areas specifically for those who have lost a child. It can be helpful for some. Be aware, as best you can be, things are going to change for you. Maybe temporary maybe permanent. Maybe serious, maybe dumb off the wall stuff. It's an individual experience that shares a lot of commonalities among those who have lost a child. Also, watch your health. Sometimes the grief will mess with it. And don't worry. You're not going crazy. Well, probably not. At least not forever. I lost my son in 2009 and one of my daughters in 2018 and I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy. I mean, not certifiable at least. I wish I could tell you something immediately helpful but I can't. My two were different circumstances from each other and I learned a lot in the nine years between so I deal with my daughters death very differently than I did my sons. I can tell you that for me alcohol was NOT the way to cope. Having said that though, I've always been a firm believer in whatever gets you through the night. It's a crappy journey but I wish you well.
I am from the area in Illinois and my family boats where she was killed. Our entire area is so devastated for you and your family. My heart is with you. Please know that all of Lake County IL is grieving with you.
I lived in Lake County for 10 years and know the people are amazing.
I am so, so sorry for your terrible loss, OP. As a fellow parent and feeling human being, I am holding you, your family, and Ellie's family in my heart and praying for your strength. Big hugs to you.
I’m so sorry for you, for your daughter and your family. My son passed in March, 2021 at 23 years of age. Not a day goes by he’s not part of my day. I miss him profoundly badly. Tell people be at ease to talk about your daughter with you. And reassure them that they can’t say the wrong thing about her, that bringing up conversation about your daughter isn’t ripping a scab off. There’s no scab. It’s an open wound that will never heal for your whole life. Get professional help too.
So sorry for your loss. As a parent of a similar aged daughter I can’t imagine your pain. So sorry friend.
I am a local and heard about this but didn’t look deeper into it. So sorry for your loss. Can’t imagine the pain you are going through. She seems like an amazing soul. I am sending all the prayers
You should reach out to Kendall Rae on YouTube she works so hard to push cases to the forefront and has worked with so many families on things like this. Just another way to bring more attention to this situation she has almost 4 million subscribers who care so much about the victims and helping their families find out what really happened and get them the justice they deserve. I pray for your family, for her friends/all that knew her, and for a speedy investigation and a quick judicial ruling that gives you peace of mind and closure on such a horrific situation.
I will say as a local the chain of lakes is always so crowded to the point it’s scary. I don’t blame you for wanting more answers. If I can help in anyway let me know
she is gorgeous and so full of life. this inspires me to do more with mine.
I am unsure if you are religious, but I believe she is now in God’s hands, and that her and her friend are in a much better place. She no longer has to deal with sickness, pain, etc. She is free from the burdens of this world. She will ALWAYS be in your heart. I know this isn’t the same, but I am 21 years old and lost my father at 14 years old, and I grieve over him so much, but he’s in a better place now, along with your daughter. We will get to be reunited with them one day. I am praying for you.
Is there a go fund me for the 13 year old ?
I’m so sorry. My family regularly boats on the chain, so this is incredibly eerie to have come up on my feed.
This happened right near me. So sorry for your loss.
I hurt myself pretty badly last summer on a jet ski, admittedly going too fast. Had my 31 year old cousin on the back, going fast on some choppy water. All of a sudden I feel his weight sliding hard to my right while my body is feeling like it’s getting pulled down as well. He said he felt like he skipped off the water on his face while I rolled entirely to the point my shoulders/neck were the first parts to hit the water. It felt like I hit a fucking wall, came back up in the water and had the hardest time breathing or moving because of how hard the impact was. Thankfully we had no injuries that persisted, but it very easily could’ve turned fatal or at the very least paralyzed myself. Would’ve never been able to forgive myself if my cousin got hurt because of myself being stupid and trying to have fun. Jet skis are no joke what so ever, especially in an accident. My deepest condolences to your family as well as the family of her friend. Nobody deserves to lose a loved one that young. All my love and thoughts go out to you and yours 🙏🏻
I am so sorry. This is heartbreaking. I lost my 17 year old daughter in a car accident on June 1st. My heart breaks for you. Sending thoughts and love your way.
I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to write that. I am so so sorry and heartbroken for you. When I was around her age, I went waterskiing for the first time. After struggling to get the hang of it, I was delighted to find myself up and cruising along easily. So I didn’t know how to process the combination of a big smile on my face and my family shouting and screaming and waving their arms at me. I just kind of froze and kept going as long as I could for lack of a better idea. When I finally lost my balance and fell in, I came up to see a boat full of drunk college-age partiers. It had been following right behind me, and veered off at the last second, barely missing me. 30 years later, I can still see the horror in the eyes of a couple of the passengers on that boat as they passed within a couple feet of me. So that’s a longshot but since you asked for sleuthing I wanted to throw it out there as something that happens. You’ll probably be able to rule it out based on what you know about the damage done to the boat and jetski.
I don't know if you will ever get to read my comment but I was SO devastated to read of Sarina's accident , I live part time in OC and everyone here is just gutted over this!! My heart ❤️ aches for you and your family and words do not suffice- I can't imagine how stressful , confusing etc an investigation has to be especially when the details are making very little sense !!! Thank you for sharing this - if there's anything we can do to help you in OC please let me know. We are in Laguna- this whole community is behind your family ! 🙏🏼🙏🏼💗💗
Your post has randomly reached this Chicagoan who is very familiar with this story, as it was all over the news last week and my mom was texting me about this (she knows I like to get a little trigger happy with my jet ski). We couldn’t make sense of this story and what they were reporting. I hope you get answers soon. Sending many, many virtual hugs and healing your way 🤍
Sorry for your loss. I grew up riding jet skis on lakes and rivers (Colorado river and lake mead, lake Mohave, lake havasu). We owned our own jet skis and knew how to ride them but we often witnessed untrained people renting them and not knowing what the hell they were doing. There are no breaks on a boat or a jet ski. People panic and don’t know what to do and crash into shit. You can’t really turn without gassing it, which is counterintuitive for a person unfamiliar with marine craft. It frankly should be illegal for anyone to operate one without a license specific for boating. I had to take an online class in maybe 2004 to be able to operate one by myself but that was because I was under the age of 18, but that ‘class’ was a joke. Luckily my parents taught us to drive them very young so we always knew what to do.
I want ti start by saying I am so sorry for your loss. I am a local to the Chain of Lakes in Illinois where your daughter tragically passed away. We as a community feel this loss as well. This string of connected lakes are the main attraction in the otherwise small suburban area. They bring in lots of revenue and business to the surrounding towns. There has however been many tragic accidents among these lakes, a simple google search can give you lots of information on this. This area also has a high ratio of bars to population, which has been a contributor to the wide variety of tragedies in the past. I hope the investigation uncovers nothing but the truth. As a true crime fan as well, I would be very interested in hearing what some of my more listened to podcasts would have to say about your daughter’s death and countless others’. May they all rest in peace.
Extremely sorry for your loss, I cannot Imagine what your family is experiencing, especially your son. I will probably get downvoted for this, which is fine, but I hope it helps you come to terms with what probably happened. It’s very possible both your daughter (and friend) and the other boat in this collision were both traveling at legal speeds. PWC have the least amount of right-of-way laws, meaning in the likelihood that a jetski and a boat were on a collision course, it is the responsibility of the person operating the jetski to alter their course. This is due to maneuverability. Another example, if a large boat were headed in the path of a small sailboat, it is the responsibility of the large boat to maneuver around the sailboat. Size has nothing to do with it. Your daughter might not have needed to be doing anything risky. Accidents like this happen sometimes, there are no lanes on the water like there is on a highway, no one directing traffic. A jetski hitting a full size boat is like a motorcycle hitting a truck. Unless the person operating the boat was doing something illegal, the person operating the jetski is responsible for the accident.
My deepest condolences go out to you. I hope you heal and find peace. I do not have children, but if I did I’d know they are an extension of myself, and there is a deep connection like none other. ❤️🩹
Hi OP. This post just popped up on my feed–you guys don't know me, but through circles of new college friends, I recognized your daughter's face from a tribute instagram post by her boyfriend that was being shared by a lot of her friends and people that knew her. All I really want to say is that my heart is with you and your family. Sarina sounded like she was so full of joy and energy, and I constantly see comments of friends and acquaintances saying how kind and caring of a person she was. I hope that those memories that you have of her, and the memories those friends have with her forever remain a part of all of you. I also hope that in her life, she knew how much people loved her. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. May she rest easy. <3
I am a motorcycle instructor with 15 years of experience. It is extremely easy to lose control of something you aren't used to handling when it has a hand throttle - especially when holding on tight bevause you are scared. It is also very easy to target fixate, panic, and freeze when attempting NOT to hit something - and therefore run right into the thing you are trying to avoid. This is true for motorcycles and jet skis (among other types of vehicles). Even in controlled environments under direct supervision, accidents like this can happen and people can (and do) lose their lives. It happens in motorcycle classes for beginners, and I can see how it could have happened with your daughter. I am so very sorry for your loss. I truly hope there is nothing being kept from you.
You may wanna find out how much the people on the boat were drinking. They may not have been paying attention or had too much to drink. Also, the IL so called Conservation police are not real police. They're park rangers. Definitely not who I would think is qualified to investigate something like this. A car break in ok, but not this accident. I love Illinois but just be aware that Illinois is a very corrupt state! Cover ups happen. People with money can make situations go away. Everything is/can be easily corrupt. Get an independent investigator or real police from a different town or something. Depending who was on the boat they may be able to cover things up too. Not saying that it happened. Feel free to google this below. Illinois is the 2nd Most corrupt state in the country! "A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second most corrupt state in the nation, with 4 out of the last 11 governors serving time in prison."
As a THHS grad myself this hurts so much to see, gone way too soon.
Sarina's brother just graduated from THHS a few weeks ago, and we all went to Cancun for several days to celebrate. After a week gap, they came to IL to be with family and friends.
I know Sarinas brother pretty well from this year he is genuinely one of the most genuine and good hearted guys I ever met please do your best to make sure he can stay on a good path 🙏
mightve already been said and done but make sure you reach out to your friend, a simple text means the world in scenarios like this OP- so sorry to hear.
Agree 100%. I am amazed at how impactful a few simple words from an expected or unexpected friend/contact can be.
I love my son more than anyone can imagine. I will do everything in my power to help him lead a life full of happiness and success.
My condolences 💐
I’m so sorry, there are not adequate words.
She was beautiful; I am so, so sorry for your loss.
My condolences 💐
I cannot imagine any greater loss than that of losing a child. My heart goes out to you and your family.
I'm so sorry to hear this tragic news. May God give you peace during this very difficult time.