UPDATE: Divers located a third person who was killed in the boating accident on Lake Conroe. Police identified the victim as Kristina Cole Frost. Her 9-year-old son Jason Frost and her sister, Leilani Cole, were also killed.
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Montgomery County Police are investigating a deadly boat collision which took place Tuesday night on Lake Conroe. Officials say that two people, including local country singer Josh Ward, were on a bass boat that was leaving a fishing tournament held on the east beach of Lake Conroe around 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The vessel traveled around a bend and apparently slammed into a pleasure boat carrying eight passengers.
According to KHOU 11 News, a 30-year-old woman was killed when the boats collided and another woman, who was reportedly not wearing a life jacket at the time, flew into the water and is still missing. Both men on the fishing boat were thrown into the water. Ward is reportedly suffering from a fractured elbow.
The vessel traveled around a bend and apparently slammed into a pleasure boat carrying eight passengers.
Two emergency helicopters were called to the scene to take a 3-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy to Memorial Hermann Hospital, according to KTRK 13 News. Both children were reported to be in critical condition and the boy succumbed to injuries on Wednesday, raising the death toll to two. The other six injured boaters were transported to regional hospitals by ambulance. They are now reported to be in stable condition.
KTRK reports the fishing boat driver told investigators he did not see the pleasure boat until it was too late to avoid a collision. The driver claims the pleasure boat did not have lights on, making it difficult to tell if there was another vessel on the water given that it was nighttime.
Lt. Tim Cade of the Montgomery County Pct. 1 Constable's Office told KHOU that it's possible one of the boats did not have its lights on, although that information has not yet been confirmed. Cade also said it has not yet been determined if anyone was not wearing a life jacket.
If you have boating plans this Fourth of July weekend, make sure to always wear a life jacket, be alert and use lights at night.
When the fishing boat turned a bend and collided with a pleasure boat, the latter was nearly split into two pieces.
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Photo by Leonid Furmansky