A speedboat crash in Missouri has left eight people hospitalized after the vessel they were on ran aground and rammed straight into the side of a lakeside house.
The crash occurred late on Saturday night at the Lake of the Ozarks, southwest of St. Louis.
The impact caused as the the boat hit the banks of the lake running aground in the process flung all the passengers from the vessel as it overturned, close to the 1.3-mile mark of the Osage Arm.
The driver, identified as 47-year-old Adam Ramirez from Huntington Beach, California, was charged with boating while intoxicated with serious injury.
A speedboat collision resulted in serious injuries to eight people who were aboard the vessel Saturday night
The incident occurred at the Lake of the Ozarks, southwest of St. Louis, when a vessel with powerful engines capable of reaching speeds close to 70 knots ran aground
Cathy Ho Ramirez, 48, and husband Adam Ramirez, 47, of Huntington Beach, California, were injured in the crash. Ramirez was charged in connection to the incident.
Ramirez is known to be something of a powerboat enthusiast. His Instagram lists him as the owner of a customs shop based in California that works on engines for boats and cars.
The boat involved in the accident was a 2014 Nortech boat with powerful engines and a top speed of 70 knots.
The passengers, consisting of four women and four men ranging between 21 and 51 years old, were seriously injured. The group was taken to Lake Regional Hospital.
Ramirez’s wife, Cathy Ramirez, was also on the boat, according to a police report.
Adam Pratt, who owns a racing company, and who has partnered on social media with Good Boy Vodka and whose postings have featured DJ Khaled and golfer John Daly, was also injured in the collision.
Police identified the other victims as Karlie Jones, 21, of Oak Hills, California, Roxy Soukup, 23, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Kylie Iltchi, 26, of Phelan, California and husband and wife 50-year-old Amy and Matthew Hillyer, 51, of Louisville, Mississippi.
Soukup and Cathy Ramirez were taken to the hospital with ‘moderate’ injuries, according to police. The others on the boat were all listed as having ‘serious’ wounds.
It’s not clear if anyone inside the house suffered injuries following the boat’s collision.
Ramirez was taken to the hospital after the crash and police said he has been charged with boating while intoxicated with serious injury
A screengrab from Alex Pratt’s Instagram showed some of the victims in the boat crash hours before the incident
Pratt posted a picture of him on a boat hours before he was injured in a boat crash on a Missouri lake
Later on Sunday, a crane was brought in to haul to boat away
The boat collided with the bank before slamming into the side of a house, flinging all eight passengers from the boat as it overturned
Pictures from the scene of the crash on Sunday showed a vast amount of damage to the house with bricks having come away from a side wall, looking extremely unsteady
Pratt had posted pictures on his Instagram page hours before the crash and one showed some of the victims enjoying dinner together.
Others showed him and boats on the water – though its unclear if one of the pictures he shared was the boat involved in the crash.
The investigation into the crash continued on Sunday with pictures from the scene of the crash showing a vast amount of damage to the house with bricks having come away from a side wall, looking extremely unsteady.
Tiles from the roof looked to have also come away, together with some guttering.
Troopers spent time reconstructing the crash scene using a drone. Later on Sunday, a crane was brought in to haul to boat away.