Multiple individuals were injured and a teenager was reported missing after a boat went aground on Lake Austin in Texas on Sunday.
One person was airlifted to a hospital and another was taken by ambulance with severe injuries, reported ABC. A group of seven boaters was navigating downstream when the boat went over a large wake from another passing boat, CE-BAR Fire Assistant Chief Ken Campbell said in a news conference.
FINAL Lake Austin: Boat ran aground w/7 people. 2 transported with serious injuries, 2 with potentially serious injuries, 2 refusals of transport, & 1 teen patient missing/unable to locate. 1st responders in recovery mode. No further updates planned. No further info available.
— ATCEMS (@ATCEMS) August 14, 2023
The wake caused the passengers to lose control of the boat, causing it to veer uncontrollably to the right. At least one person was ejected from the boat before it collided with the riverbank on the right side. (RELATED: Over 50 Injured, One Dead After Bus Rolls Over At Grand Canyon)
Due to the remote location, responders had to use jet skis to transport the injured individuals to safety. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services wrote that teams are actively engaged in a “recovery mode.”
Two individuals were immediately transported to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries, and two others sustained injuries described as potentially serious by officials. A teenager has been declared missing in the aftermath of the incident, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
Two individuals declined medical transportation to local hospitals, reported ABC. Authorities classified the incident as a Level-5 mass casualty event.
“If you’re just plowing down the lake as fast as you can go, you’re going to have an accident — even if you’re going slow you can have an accident because there’s a lot of traffic and a lot of things to avoid,” Campbell told KXAN.