Disaster struck in Missouri over the weekend after a boat crashed into a home on the Ozarks, throwing all eight passengers out of the vessel and leaving six with serious injuries sustained.
The accident happened just around midnight when the 2014 Nortech boat crashed into a home and completely overturned.
The driver was identified as 47-year-old Adam Ramirez and authorities are suspecting that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. He was arrested at the scene.
Photos taken on the scene by the Missouri State Highway Patrol show the home and the boat completely crashed and overturned on the lawn.
The boat was totaled in the crash and all eight passengers were taken to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach, Missouri. As of Monday morning, seven of the eight passengers were released.
Tourism in the Ozarks has boomed since the pandemic, with 2020 and 2021 seeing a record number of visitors. In 2021, it was estimated that nearly 10 million people visited Branson, Missouri, the most popular family vacation destination in the region.
“You have to be more careful,” Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Kyle Green told local outlet ABC 17. “In terms of being more observant with land points and other boats that are out there. So just like driving a car, you know, it’s more difficult to see at night and it’s the same way on a boat. You have to be more cautious.”
Police did not disclose whether or not anyone was in the house at the time of the accident.
The victims range in age from 21 to 51, with authorities noting that no one was wearing a life vest at the time of the accident.
Ramirez is pending investigation until he is cleared from the hospital.
