Husband and wife dead after boat crash

CTV Barrie: Husband and wife killed in boat crash A husband and wife were killed when their pedal boat was hit Monday by a ski boat. Katherine Ward has the latest on the investigation north

A wife and husband are dead after a boat crash on Bartlett Lake in Almaguin Highlands Monday.

The crash happened just before 7 p.m. Monday evening when a ski boat collided with a pedal boat, and police say the ski boat was pulling tubers at the time. After the boats collided, people on the ski boat tried to help the 58-year-old woman from McMurrich/Monteith Township.

“We do know the person on board the ski boat rescued a female, brought her to shore where was transported by EMS to hospital and she did died of her injuries en route to hospital,” says OPP Const. Louise Maki.

OPP units then began a search of the lake for a second person who was believed to have been in the pedal boat as well. After two days of searching, police found the body of the woman's 80-year-old husband.

Police say finding the missing man was particularly challenging for divers.

“Recovery was at approximately 12:45 p.m.,” says Maki. “The waters were approximately 76C. They're murky.”

Clifford James has a cottage on the lake and was woken up by the commotion.

“They run the shoreline of course and they were looking and boats were everywhere and the helicopter,” he says. The “helicopter is what brought our attention at quarter to seven in the morning.”

James says he's surprised something like this could happen in his backyard because the lake is normally pretty quiet.

“We don't have a lot of heavy boat traffic, not like most lakes because it's a smaller lake,” he says.

Police say that the couple wasn’t wearing lifejackets at the time of the crash.

“We would just like to remind everybody that it is so crucial to be wearing your lifejacket. To have it in the boat is one thing, but to be actually wearing it could save your life,” Maki says.

There is no word on any charges at this time, but Maki says the investigation is continuing.