One of two children killed after a WaveRunner collided with a boat on Lake Marie near Antioch was a soccer player and had wanted to be a teacher when she was older, her boyfriend said.
The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the area of the 42000 block of 4th Avenue in unincorporated Antioch.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Patrol Division and Antioch Fire Protection District responded to the area for a report of a crash involving a boat and WaveRunner.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl were on the WaveRunner on Lake Marie.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek on Thursday identified the two as Sarina Vootkur, 16, of Lake Forest, California, and Elle Kim, 13, of Long Grove.
A preliminary investigation shows Vootkur was operating the Yamaha WaveRunner and Kim was the passenger.
They were traveling in a northerly direction near the channel to Grass Lake just north of the Elime Road Peninsula, Covelli said.
A Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser, operated by a 55-year-old Antioch man, was traveling westbound in the same area approaching the Grass Lake Channel.
Witnesses reported the WaveRunner was traveling at a high rate of speed directly toward the Sea Ray, Covelli said.
The operator of the Sea Ray was unable to avoid a collision and the two watercrafts struck each other.
Both children on the WaveRunner, who were wearing life vests, were knocked unconscious and thrown into the water, Covelli said.
There were a total of four people on the Sea Ray and they immediately rescued the girls from the water, called 911 and rendered aid.
One of the girls was transported to the shore by the operator of the Sea Ray and the other girl was transported by an operator of another passing boat.
Covelli said Vootkur and Kim were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville by ambulance and both were pronounced dead after arriving.
A third male patient was transported from the scene by ambulance to Advocate Condell, Antioch Fire Chief Jon Cokefair said. The occupants of the boat were uninjured.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted autopsies Thursday morning on both victims.
Banek said the preliminary autopsy results indicate the two children died as a result of blunt force injuries.
Jake Cunanan, Vootkur’s boyfriend, said that the girl loved soccer, journaling, filming and editing.
Vootkur also wanted to be an English teacher when she grew up, Cunanan said, adding that he wants his girlfriend’s legacy “to be known and what an incredible person she was.”
“This past year, I got to get to know one of the most goofy, loving, and caring people to grace this earth. Sarina was the best person and girlfriend imaginable,” Cunanan said in a tribute.
Vootkur was a soccer player at Trabuco Hills High School in California where she resided.
“Our hearts are broken and it is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely passing of Sarina Vootkur,” Trabuco Soccer said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to Sarina’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. Sarina’s legacy will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew her,” the organization said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Illinois Conservation Police.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to the families of the girls and others involved in this tragic boat crash,” the office said in a statement.
Fire departments from Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Round Lake, Spring Grove and Grayslake assisted the Antioch Fire Department at the scene.
Marine deputies and IDNR conservation police officers were seen at the scene examining the boat involved in the crash.
Scott Swearingen, who frequents the Sandbar in his camper, called the incident “unbelievable” because there was not as much watercraft activity on the lake on Tuesday compared to Father’s Day.
“On Sunday – Father’s Day – it was crowded as heck and nothing happened,” Swearingen said.
Swearingen said that besides windy conditions, the lake itself on Tuesday was “wide open.”
A GoFundMe account created by Cunanan has raised over $22,000 and the funds are expected to go toward a memorial and permanent remembrance.