A 52-year-old New Jersey woman was killed Wednesday when the personal watercraft she was riding on Lake Tahoe collided with another operated by her daughter.
The incident occurred at 1:50 p.m. roughly 200 yards off the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe-owned beach in Incline Village, said Edwin Lyngar, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Wildife’s law enforcement division.
The daughter, 21, was riding a personal watercraft when, for unknown reasons, she crashed into her mother’s personal watercraft, Lyngar said.
The mother — identified Thursday by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office as Westwood, N.J., resident Dawn Finn — “was killed almost on impact,” Lyngar said. She reportedly suffered massive trauma.
The daughter, also of Westwood, N.J., was not injured.
“This is just a tragic accident. Our hearts go out to the family involved. It’s just horrific,” Lyngar said.
An NDOW representative and other emergency responders were on the scene by 2:12 p.m., Lyngar said, but CPR on Finn was unsuccessful.
NDOW has taken possession of the two watercraft, which were rented from Action Water Sports, as part of the department’s ongoing investigation, Lyngar said.
“As tragic as this is, it serves as a reminder for people to be careful when on unfamiliar watercraft … especially if they’re inexperienced in operating them,” he said. “They are very powerful machines and can be very dangerous.”
Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash, Lyngar said.
