10 injured in boat crash near Sandbar

[H20Advantage]

Anybody have more details. We were at the south end of the lake today.
Saturday, June 3, 2006 6:48 PM MDT
Ten people were injured Saturday in a boat accident south of the Sanbar.
Three of the injuries were serious head wounds, said James Whitt, battalion chief for the Lake Havasu City Fire Department.
Paramedics also treated two leg fractures, an abdominal injury and an assortment of bumps, bruises and minor lacerations. In all, 13 people were transported to Havasu Regional Medical Center, the majority of which were school teachers from Phoenix, Whitt said.
For more details, check out tomorrow's print edition of Today's News-Herald.

[RitcheyRch]

Have a feeling this going to be a bad summer.

[shueman]

Wow....that's alot of people involved... :220v:

[Throttle]

this really is NOT the way to be getting the season under way. Sounds like all were lucky with minor to moderate injuries, glad it was not worse.

[Kilrtoy]

Passed by it around 4 Pm and it was a mess it was just south of the MINI SANDBAR... COP boats were already there and almost all of them were heading to the scene.. It looked BAD....
Some were airlifted to vegas..

[Red Horse]

Here you go
http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2006/06/04/news/news02.txt

[OCMerrill]

And one person still missing. Very sad deal.

[Hardly Satisfied]

very sad to hear

[H20Advantage]

Sunday AM report:
One person missing after accident near Sandbar
By Tony Raap
Saturday, June 3, 2006 11:11 PM MDT
News-Herald Photos/David Bell Personnel from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department and Lake Havasu City Police Department help take one of the victims of Saturday's boat accident on Lake Havasu to a waiting ambulance at Lake Havasu State Park Windsor Beach.
A collision between at least two boats south of the Sandbar Saturday afternoon resulted in 13 injures.
The whereabouts of one person involved in the crash was still unknown Saturday night.
The accident occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. three of the victims suffered serious head injuries, according to Lake Havasu City Fire Department Battalion Chief James Whitt.
One of the boats involved carried 14 teachers from Phoenix, Whitt said.
One of the injured was in critical condition; two others were listed as serious, according to Whitt.
Rescue crews transported the victims from the Sandbar area to Lake Havasu State Park Windsor Beach, where they were taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center.
It was not known late Saturday how the accident happened.
At Windsor, paramedics treated two leg fractures, an abdominal injury and an assortment of bumps, bruises and minor lacerations. At least three people involved were not injured, Whitt said.
Dive teams from San Bernardino, Calif., and Mohave County called off the search for the missing person around 7:10 p.m. because of darkness. The search will resume this morning.
Officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office and Lake Havasu City Fire Department were involved in rescue efforts, as well as personnel from River Medical.
You may reach the reporter at raap@havasunews.com

[slowinhavasuskid]

My mom and dad said that they were on their way to topock this morning and as soon as they passed the accident site there was a barrier put up so no one else could get through.... they dont know if they are going to be able to get back to the lake......

[Procraftkev]

Not a good way to start the season off. Would like to find out what happened.

[OGShocker]

Very sad. :sad:
14 people on one boat? That seems like a lot for one boat...

[HocusPocus]

Very sad. :sad:
14 people on one boat? That seems like a lot for one boat...
not really.. i have a tri-toon that seats 13. i know some of those big deck boats must have room for alot more then that.

[havasu5150]

Passed by there around 4:15. The river was kaos at that time. It is understandable how the accident happened. I witnessed several boats have close calls. very sad indeed

[mbrown2]

Prayers go out to those involved....People need to slow down in that section....its like boating on the Parker strip on a major weekend....hi-speeds going north and south but more traffic then Parker normally has...too bad; seems like Havasu is a danger zone this season......5 More LE Boats and they still seem more concerned with patroling the channel and Thomson Bay....

[H20 Party Starter]

Must have happened RIGHT behind me, left the sandbar and went straingt to Windsor, passed 3 police boats rolling WOT toward the top of the lake and watched a ton of EMS at the docs at windsor.
I see tons of rentboats with 16-20 people on board, I was 11+me on our deck this weekend, and we are CG approved for 14 persons or up to 2600 LBS total cargo.
Hope all make a quick recovery and prayers to the family of the 1 missing victim :cry:

[Mrs 2LKHVSU]

We passed about 3:45 yesterday. Fire Boat, Police Boat, Rescue Boat and about 10 other boats floating. The paper said this morning that they are going to continue searching for one... :(

[GHT]

Anymore news? Did they find the missing person? Too sad to have the season starting like this.

[INSman]

This one top of a boat fire that I rolled up on Saturday morning about a mile North of Windsor, boat was already engulfed and everybody made it off of the boat safely, but the boat was a total loss.

[bignet]

Terrible way to kick off the season....we gotta work on boatsmanship out there...my prayers go out to that missing person's family.
bignet

[shueman]

Late Sunday On-Line Update:
One man still is missing and presumed drowned after a tragic boat accident in Jopps Harbor Cove, south of the Sandbar Saturday afternoon.
David Ramsey, 54, of Riverside, Calif., was ejected from a 1996 Eliminator he was riding in with three other people in an accident that critically injured one person and sent 12 others to the hospital with injuries that ranged from serious to minor.
Dive teams were out on Sunday along with a helicopter from the Arizona
Department of Public Safety doing an aerial search, but Ramsey's body was not found by the time the sun went down on Sunday.
Police officers on the water were directing boaters entering the lake to avoid the northern area of the lake. The Colorado River north of Lake Havasu was closed Sunday while diving operations continued.
The accident occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., Saturday, with three of the victims suffering serious head injuries, according to emergency personnel on scene Saturday.
One of the boats involved, a 28-foot Advantage, was carrying 15 people at the time of the accident, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Trish Carter.
Carter did not have a definite cause for the accident on Sunday and said the incident remains under investigation.
She said she was having trouble getting updates from the officers on the scene and that there still was no full accident report. No identities of the other victims have been released, nor has the extent of the damage to both boats. However, the Advantage boat reportedly was carrying 14 teachers from the Phoenix area.
On Saturday, rescue crews transported the victims from the Sandbar area to Lake Havasu State Park Windsor Beach, where they were taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center.
Officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, San Bernardino County, Calif., Sheriff's Office, rangers from Arizona State Parks and Lake Havasu City Fire Department were involved in rescue efforts, as well as personnel from River Medical.

[Wake Havasu]

A 28-foot Advantage and a 1996 Eliminator.
These were not noobs or renters.
SAD.

[Robert1050]

I went by there at about 4:30 and it was still chaos. Sad to hear, but how could they have had an accident along that stretch of the River? The 28' Advantage was in the mud just north of the main entrance to Speed Alley? Since that entire area is now a No Wake zone?

[RiverRatMike]

Late Sunday On-Line Update:
One man still is missing and presumed drowned after a tragic boat accident in Jopps Harbor Cove, south of the Sandbar Saturday afternoon.
David Ramsey, 54, of Riverside, Calif., was ejected from a 1996 Eliminator he was riding in with three other people in an accident that critically injured one person and sent 12 others to the hospital with injuries that ranged from serious to minor.
Dive teams were out on Sunday along with a helicopter from the Arizona
Department of Public Safety doing an aerial search, but Ramsey's body was not found by the time the sun went down on Sunday.
Police officers on the water were directing boaters entering the lake to avoid the northern area of the lake. The Colorado River north of Lake Havasu was closed Sunday while diving operations continued.
The accident occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., Saturday, with three of the victims suffering serious head injuries, according to emergency personnel on scene Saturday.
One of the boats involved, a 28-foot Advantage, was carrying 15 people at the time of the accident, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Trish Carter.
Carter did not have a definite cause for the accident on Sunday and said the incident remains under investigation.
She said she was having trouble getting updates from the officers on the scene and that there still was no full accident report. No identities of the other victims have been released, nor has the extent of the damage to both boats. However, the Advantage boat reportedly was carrying 14 teachers from the Phoenix area.
On Saturday, rescue crews transported the victims from the Sandbar area to Lake Havasu State Park Windsor Beach, where they were taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center.
Officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, San Bernardino County, Calif., Sheriff's Office, rangers from Arizona State Parks and Lake Havasu City Fire Department were involved in rescue efforts, as well as personnel from River Medical.
oh boy that's bad! that body is going to surface on someone on the lake, and it's not going to be me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yikes!

[JetBoatRich]

Terrible news and bad start of summer :mad:

[Red Horse]

Sad to hear about all this.
In Texas we have a narrow lake. Lake Austin. Gets LOTS of traffic. They have a basic system there now. You have to follow the rules of the road carefully. I got ticketed for going up river at an angle to regular flow of traffic.
Is anything like that in place on Havasu?

[MBlaster]

Dang thats bad...
Everyone be careful out there.

[Big Warlock]

Sorry, but 15 people on a 28 foot Advantage????? Sounds like someone wasn't thinking! :cry:

[havaduner]

Sorry, but 28 people on a 28 foot Advantage????? Sounds like someone wasn't thinking! :cry:
Uh,,, the article says the advantage had 15 people. Still to many IMO.

[havaduner]

Terrible way to kick off the season....we gotta work on boatsmanship out there...my prayers go out to that missing person's family.
bignet
I was going to make this statement in another thread as well..

[Big Warlock]

My bad. I edited it. I was trying to take a phone call and write on the thread at the same time. LOL
When I see something like that (which is too often), I always wonder if they really have enough life vests???

[VESSEL ASSIST]

Sad to hear about all this.
In Texas we have a narrow lake. Lake Austin. Gets LOTS of traffic. They have a basic system there now. You have to follow the rules of the road carefully. I got ticketed for going up river at an angle to regular flow of traffic.
Is anything like that in place on Havasu?
It's very much a narrow section of river where the wreck took place.
Not the first time for t/c's and close calls in this area.

[havasu5150]

my understanding is that the "no wake zone" is only in the area of Devils Elbow in the wild life refuge area. (There are not any no wake bouysa anywhere on the river north of the lake.) This accidient did not occur in this area.

[pixilatedpussy]

I am severely worried about tis summer! This stuff is starting too damn early this year!!! :mad:
Please please.....be safe out there everyone!!!! IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!! :cry:
God be with the families & victims of this tradgic accident!

[AZJD]

28 PartyCat can hold atleast 15 people no problemo's.. I think there rated for 16 or 18? There's plenty of seating in them though.. Back to back benches in the rear of the boat holds 6 - 8 by itself, + 2 (side by side for the driver) and then you can two huge front benches as well that can hold between 5 - 6 a side.
Doesn't sound that unusual to me?
RD
I know someone who has a 26' Kachina and gets as many as 14 on his boat, open bow of course....not that I agree with him doing it, but it's usually only 30mph booze cruise back and fourth.

[BajaMike]

Update....
Man missing since crash
From Staff reports
Sunday, June 4, 2006 10:48 PM MDT
One man still is missing and presumed drowned after a tragic boat accident in Jopps Harbor Cove, south of the Sandbar Saturday afternoon.
David Ramsey, 54, of Riverside, Calif., was ejected from a 1996 Eliminator he was riding in with three other people in an accident that critically injured one person and sent 12 others to the hospital with injuries that ranged from serious to minor.
Dive teams were out on Sunday along with a helicopter from the Arizona
Department of Public Safety doing an aerial search, but Ramsey's body was not found by the time the sun went down on Sunday.
Police officers on the water were directing boaters entering the lake to avoid the northern area of the lake. The Colorado River north of Lake Havasu was closed Sunday while diving operations continued.
The accident occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., Saturday, with three of the victims suffering serious head injuries, according to emergency personnel on scene Saturday.
One of the boats involved, a 28-foot Advantage, was carrying 15 people at the time of the accident, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Trish Carter.
Carter did not have a definite cause for the accident on Sunday and said the incident remains under investigation.
She said she was having trouble getting updates from the officers on the scene and that there still was no full accident report. No identities of the other victims have been released, nor has the extent of the damage to both boats. However, the Advantage boat reportedly was carrying 14 teachers from the Phoenix area.
On Saturday, rescue crews transported the victims from the Sandbar area to Lake Havasu State Park Windsor Beach, where they were taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center.
Officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, San Bernardino County, Calif., Sheriff's Office, rangers from Arizona State Parks and Lake Havasu City Fire Department were involved in rescue efforts, as well as personnel from River Medical.

[BajaMike]

Anybody know exactly where "Jopps Harbor Cove" is?

[blackcloud75]

Tried to head up to the Sandbar yesterday around 1030 and was detoured back south and it was closed again today......

[ThongMagnet]

All that traffic, and nobody saw anything??? I get this feeling no one is paying attention.
How many accidents does it take for strip of water to be closed off too boaters? I think we are approaching that that number.
Lets see, how many ***boats were involved in bad accidents this year on havasu? I'm getting the feeling all of them.
Where does a 70mph + boat do a high speed pass on memorial day weekend?

[OnlyMoney]

We heard they were closing the river area down so we might not make it to the sandbar, but we left the channel around 11:30 and had no problems. There was a police boat on the right hand side just south of "Speed Alley" which is one of two newer areas that are now wakeless. There are at least 5 buoys just East of the reeds that you can see when heading up river, and that's only about halfway to the sandbar. The other "Devils Elbow" area is above the sandbar, towards Topock. Had no problems getting to or from the sandbar yesterday.

[havaduner]

All that traffic, and nobody saw anything??? I get this feeling no one is paying attention.
How many accidents does it take for strip of water to be closed off too boaters? I think we are approaching that that number.
Lets see, how many ***boats were involved in bad accidents this year on havasu? I'm getting the feeling all of them.
Where does a 70mph + boat do a high speed pass on memorial day weekend?
You're right, too many people not paying attention. I feel for those involved, and I worry about how many more accidents will happen due to lack of common sense.
As for your last question, on Havasu, any where on the lack before 7:00am. After that, it is just too crowded. I love to go fast, but I feel that you need to pick the time and place, and in the middle of a crowd aint it.

[Magic34]

Are there any accidents directly in front of the sandbar? People haul ass to show off (I admit, I've done it in the past, but not over 75 MPH) and there is nowhere to go if someone cuts you off in that strip except into the reeds or the sand bar itself. Maybe a nowake area at the sand bar wouldnt be a bad idea and boats that are beached wouldn't get the crap kicked out of them on the main side with all the wakes.

[shueman]

Anybody know exactly where "Jopps Harbor Cove" is?
The color aerial map I have shows Jops Harbor on the AZ side, south of Castle Rock. Looks to be right in the middle of the strip of water everyone calls "Speed Alley". Did the accident happen there and not in the main channel to the west..??

[3 daytona`s]

They did not close the river down to the Two Red Boats and The Blue Boat :confused:

[BajaMike]

They did not close the river down to the Two Red Boats and The Blue Boat :confused:
What??? :confused:

[98 Vector 21]

We tryed to go up river sunday morning aprox 9:00am & was turned around ever so rudley by water patrol....

[Big Warlock]

I just checked the Advantage site. Says the 28 foot Party Cat has a seating capacity for 18! Who knew? Still seems like a bunch of people to me. I have 6 people on my boat and it feels crowded!! :crossx:

[Warlockjer]

Big Warlock, 6 people in 29 is crowded. I had one. Key word is HAD. I do miss it tho. But love my JC, and the capacity tag says it can hold 20. Heck I don't even know 20 people :) :)

[Big Warlock]

I'm talking about my 38 foot Donzi! I had to give the Warlock over to some other "Man *****" when I got engaged! 6 people on the Warlock is tight. 6 people on the Donzi is comfortable. Could do 8 in a pinch. And I do have Coast Guard approved life vests for all. :crossx:

[2Driver]

I just checked the Advantage site. Says the 28 foot Party Cat has a seating capacity for 18! Who knew? Still seems like a bunch of people to me. :crossx:
That's a lot of heads and shoulders to look around and a lot of blind spots for the driver, not to mention degraded performance out of the hole. It will be interesting to see the accident report on what happend.

[AirtimeLavey]

Really bummed to see this thread. We were heading north to Needles from the channel, Sat. evening tween 6 & 6:30, I think, and went by 2 LE boats, who waved us by. Someone said hope they're not looking for bodies. Sad to find out they were. We had also just left the sandbar for the channel, right before this must of happened. It gets hectic in the lane going by the sandbar. More people need to f---ing slow down around there. :frown:

[H20Advantage]

Still no sign of missing boater
BY MICHAEL HAYS
Monday, June 5, 2006 10:56 PM MDT
News-Herald Photo/Michael Hays Mohave County Sheriff's Office personnel search the California side of Lake Havasu for a man lost in Saturday's boat accident near the Sandbar.
Out of the 19 people involved in a two-boat collision on Saturday south of the Sandbar, David Ramsey, a 54-year-old man from Riverside, Calif., did not come to the surface.
Ramsey is missing and presumed drowned, said Trish Carter, spokesperson for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency in the investigation into last weekend's boating accident that sent more than a dozen people to the hospital.
On Monday, crews from MCSO scanned the water and surrounding marsh for any signs of Ramsey. Unlike Sunday's search, divers were not involved. Visibility remains poor, with some divers reporting a range of three to four feet underwater. Saturday's dive search ended at 7:10 p.m. due to darkness.
Rangers from the Department of Public Safety's Kingman office conducted an aerial search on Sunday as well. According to the MCSO, the search will continue until the victim is located.
On Saturday around 3:30 p.m., a 28-foot Advantage boat was traveling north carrying 15 passengers, including 14 teachers from Phoenix. Traveling southbound was a 28-foot Eliminator boat carrying four passengers. All 15 people onboard the Advantage boat were ejected from the watercraft, and later taken to Havasu Regional Medical Center. Based on preliminary investigation results, officials believe that the boats may have been traveling too fast given the existing conditions at the time of the crash.
Thirteen of the 15 received treatment and left the medical facility Saturday evening. The remaining two victims were airlifted to Las Vegas for treatment of more serious injuries.
As of Monday afternoon, Janelle Smith was listed in “fair condition” at Sunrise Medical, while Heather Storck was listed in “critical condition” at University Medical Center.
Ramsey, traveling on the Eliminator, could not be found in the immediate vicinity of the accident scene. The other three passengers on his boat did not sustain any injuries.
Both boats were damaged, but neither boat was sunk in the incident, according to the MCSO.
Paramedics at the scene treated two leg fractures, an abdominal injury, and an assortment of bumps, bruises, and minor lacerations. Officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department, Arizona State Parks Rangers, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, and personnel from River Medical participated in rescue efforts.
According to the MCSO, sonar searches have been unsuccessful in the past due to the presence of many large objects on the lake's floor, such as rocks and tree branches.

[RitcheyRch]

So sad.

[Partycattin]

It gets hectic in the lane going by the sandbar. More people need to f---ing slow down around there. :frown:
I agree. Can't tell you how many times I have gone on that stretch from the lake to the Sandbar, doing about 40-45. Boats going flying by in the 70's. Fortunetly, I know to hold my line and go straight. Someone not knowing better could turn/swerve and there would likely be some serious injuries involved.
Not sure that someone pushing up river at 70+ needs to get within 15 feet of the boat they are passing! That's just stupid IMO.

[Mrs_Wally_Gator]

Makes me kind of glad boat is not put back together yet.

[Warlockjer]

Just came from Windsor. They have the North ramp all blocked off for rescue vehicles. Didn't see much going on tho. only about 20 boats in the channel and the lake was like glass... I love being retired!!! :) :)

[shueman]

Speed seen as factor in boat crash
Sarah Muench
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 6, 2006 12:00 AM
Speed and alcohol may have been factors in a boating accident that threw 10 Ahwatukee Foothills teachers overboard when two boats collided on the Colorado River immediately north of Lake Havasu, authorities said Monday.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office investigators said a preliminary investigation indicates that both boats involved in the Saturday accident may have been traveling too fast.
At least 15 people were injured in the collision that occurred in a narrow, heavily trafficked channel of the river. advertisement
The two most seriously injured Arizonans were teacher Heather Storck, who was in critical condition, and teacher Janelle Smith, who was in serious condition with a broken leg. They were flown to Las Vegas hospitals, said Trish Carter, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
A man from the other boat, which was carrying three people from California and one from New Mexico, is missing and presumed drowned, Carter said.
The group of teachers from Desert Garden Montessori School was attending an annual retreat hosted by the school's owner, Shetal Walters, at her Lake Havasu City vacation home. They left Wednesday and were supposed to return Sunday, said Brittany Player, 20, whose mother is a teacher who was on the boat.
"We've definitely been praying and our prayers have been going out to the families," Player said. "We were all very concerned, very worried."
Her mother, Marti, is in Havasu Regional Medical Center for a leg injury requiring skin grafts, she said.
The accident occurred about a quarter-mile north of Lake Havasu in an area known as Jopps Harbor Cove. It's about 100 yards wide and can be dangerous with heavy boat traffic, Carter said.
"If they are going fast, that would add to it," she said.
At 3:28 p.m. Saturday, the two 28-foot boats, one going north and the other traveling south, collided. Eleven people, including 10 of the 15 teachers and one person from the other craft, were thrown overboard, authorities said.
All of the Ahwatukee passengers were taken to hospitals, most with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Dive teams from San Bernardino County, Calif., and Mohave County, Ariz., along with an aerial team, continued to search Monday to try to find David Ramsey, 54, of Riverside, Calif., Carter said.
Ramsey was ejected from the other boat, and authorities believe he is dead. No body has been found, Carter said. Crews will continue the search until a body is found.
None of the passengers in other boat was injured, and no other victims' names have been released.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, Carter said, but investigators also are looking into whether alcohol was a factor on both boats.
Passengers of boats are allowed to drink but the driver is not, Carter said.
"Generally speaking, a high volume of accidents are alcohol-related," Carter said.
Other accidents are usually operator-related if the driver is going too fast or not paying attention, she said.
Sometimes, boat owners take their boats out only once a year, but water conditions change constantly.
Carter said 19 is a large number for victims in a boating accident.
It was unclear what types of boats the craft were, but the teachers were on an Advantage and the others were traveling in an Eliminator.
Desert Garden Montessori School was open Monday, the first day of summer school. The private school serves infants to sixth-graders and is offering summer classes this month and next, said Pamela Narcy, a teacher there.
Other faculty members filled in Monday for the teachers who had been involved in the accident, Narcy said.
"I'm sick," said Regina Smith, who has a 2-year-old son at the school. "I can't comprehend something like this happening."
Smith, a Chandler resident, said her son is not in summer school, but she stopped by the campus to find out how the teachers were doing. "It's really unsettling," she said.
:(

[KineticoH20]

Alcohol, speed and buzy wknds do not mix at all, very sad to hear about alot of these accidents happening.

[Cole Trickle]

Sad....
I honestly can't fathom why 2 boat going in opposite directions would be that close together doing anything other than idling?
maybe a wake forced them into eachother?

[H20 Party Starter]

Looks Like the son of the guy still missing was driving the Elim, can't imagine how he feels. And of course "guilty until proven innocent" in terms of BUI :rolleyes: :argue:
School owner a driver in boat fatality
Sarah Muench
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
The owner of an Ahwatukee Foothills school and the son of a man who is presumed dead were identified as the drivers in the boating accident that threw 10 local teachers overboard, authorities said Tuesday.
The two boats collided on the Colorado River immediately north of Lake Havasu on Saturday.
Shetal Walters, owner of Desert Garden Montessori School in Ahwatukee Foothills, was operating a performance boat with 15 teachers on board, according to officials. advertisement
David Ramsey Jr. was driving the other performance boat, with four passengers.
No ages were given.
The privately owned boats collided but didn't sink. Both suffered significant damage, according to Kenn McKinney, who owns Vessel Assist, a towing company in Lake Havasu City that brought the boats ashore.
"When we towed them, we had to have (water) pumps ready to go," McKinney said. "We didn't want to lose them; there was a lot of evidence on board the police wanted to use."
Mohave County Sheriff's Office investigators said a preliminary investigation indicates that both boats involved in the Saturday accident may have been traveling too fast and that alcohol may have been a contributing factor.
Trish Carter, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday she wasn't sure if either or both drivers' blood alcohol levels were taken after the accident.
A boat's driver is BUI - or boating under the influence - at .08 percent blood alcohol level in Arizona, California and Colorado.
The boat that carried the teachers was a 28-foot Advantage performance "party cat," according to McKinney. He said that craft, which suffered heavy damage on its left side, can reach speeds up to 70 to 80 mph.
The other vessel was an Eliminator performance boat, which is similar to the Advantage but without as much room for passengers. It was damaged with a hole in its side, McKinney said.
He said it was difficult to tell who hit whom by looking.
"I've seen worse, but obviously this one was bad. Not a good deal for sure," he said in a phone interview.
At least 15 people were injured in the collision that occurred in a narrow, heavily trafficked channel of the river.
The two most seriously injured Arizonans were teacher Heather Storck, who was still in critical condition Tuesday, and teacher Janelle Smith, who was upgraded to fair condition with a broken leg. They were flown to Las Vegas hospitals, Carter said.
A man from the other boat, which was carrying three people from California and another person from New Mexico, is missing.
David Ramsey Sr., 54, of Riverside, Calif., is presumed dead. No body has been found, Carter said. Crews will continue the search.
The group of Desert Garden teachers was attending an annual retreat hosted by Walters, at her Lake Havasu City vacation home. They left Wednesday and were supposed to return Sunday, said Brittany Player, 20, whose mother is a teacher who was on the boat.
"We've definitely been praying and our prayers have been going out to the families," Player said.
Her mother, Marti, is in Havasu Regional Medical Center with a leg injury that's requires skin grafts, she said.
The accident occurred about a quarter-mile north of Lake Havasu in an area known as Jopps Harbor Cove. It's about 100 yards wide and can be dangerous with heavy boat traffic, Carter said.
"If they are going fast, that would add to it," she said.
At 3:28 p.m. Saturday, the two boats - one going north and the other south - collided. Eleven people, including 10 of the 15 teachers and one person from the other craft, were thrown overboard, authorities said.
All of the Ahwatukee passengers were taken to hospitals, most with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
None of the passengers in other boat was injured, and no other victims' names have been released.