2 girls on WaveRunner killed in crash with boat on Lake Marie in Antioch

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Two teen girls were killed after a boat and WaveRunner crash on a lake in Antioch Tuesday evening, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

The crash occurred on Lake Marie, which is part of the Chain O'Lakes.

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The Lake County Sheriff's Marine Unit and Patrol Division responded to the crash at about 5:15 p.m.

Investigators said a 16-year-old girl from Lake Forest, California was driving a Yamaha WaveRunner and a 13-year-old girl from Long Grove, Illinois was her passenger. The Lake County coroner has not yet released their names.

The WaveRunner was traveling near the channel to Grass Lake when a boat operated by a 55-year-old Antioch man approached the same area, the sheriff's office said.

Witnesses told police the WaveRunner was traveling at high speed directly at the boat, leading to a collision.

The girls on the WaveRunner, who were wearing life vests, were knocked unconscious and thrown into the water, the sheriff's office said.

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The occupants of the boat immediately pulled the girls from the water, rendered aid and called 911.

Both girls were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where they were both pronounced dead after arrival.

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The ongoing investigation has not yet determined whether the 16-year-old girl who was driving the WaveRunner had her boating safety certificate, which is required in Illinois for anyone born after June 1998. It involves an eight-hour course and is certified by the Department of Natural resources.

Investigators said there was no sign that either the driver of the boat or the WaveRunner were impaired.

"The operator, there was nothing they could do to stop the boat in time around the wave runner as it approached," said Lake County Deputy Chief Chris Covelli.

No other injuries were reported from the crash.

The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and Illinois Conservation Police.

Investigators have not yet said whether anyone was at fault for the deadly collision, but said in general a large watercraft has the right of way over a smaller craft like a WaveRunner.