Girls, 16 and 13, killed in WaveRunner crash on Lake Marie in Antioch identified by medical examiner

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team and John Garcia WLS logo
Thursday, June 20, 2024 10:31PM
Girls, 16 and 13, killed in WaveRunner boat crash in Antioch ID'd
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said Elle Kim and Sarina Vootkur died in a WaveRunner boat crash on Lake Marie in Antioch Tuesday.

ANTIOCH, Ill. (WLS) -- Two teen girls that were killed after a boat and WaveRunner crash on Tuesday have been identified, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

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The Lake County Sheriff's Marine Unit and Patrol Division responded to the crash at about 5:15 p.m. The crash occurred on Lake Marie, which is part of the Chain O'Lakes.

Investigators said a 16-year-old girl from Lake Forest, California was driving a Yamaha WaveRunner and

Elle Kim, 13, from Long Grove, Illinois and Sarina Vootkur, 16, from Lake Forest, California were killed in the crash.

Vootkur was driving the WaveRunner 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 crash.

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

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

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

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

The medical examiner said both girls died from blunt force injuries from the crash.

Both girls were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where they later died.

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It is unknown if Vootkur 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.

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.