A teenager is dead after being ejected from a boat in a Saturday morning collision with another vessel off the coast of Corpus Christi. Texas Parks & Wildlife announced on Sunday that an unidentified 16-year-old boy had died after the accident around 6 a.m. Saturday.
Texas Parks and Wildlife responded to an incident at the Bird Island Basin boat ramp on the Laguna Madre at around 6:15 a.m. Saturday, according to a statement. The boat ramp is located near the Bird Basin Campground on Padre Island, about 30 miles southeast of Corpus Christi.
“A jon boat with three occupants collided with a center console boat, resulting in a 16-year-old boy being ejected from the jon boat,” read the TPWD statement Sunday. “Unfortunately, he did not survive.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the young man’s family during this difficult time.”
An investigation by the Texas Game Warden Boat Accident Reconstruction Team is ongoing.
On the same day, just an hour later at 7:15 a.m., a boater participating in a fishing tournament at Lake Tawakoni, about 58 miles east of Dallas, was ejected from his vessel after striking a stump. Texas Game Wardens searched for several hours until they found the man safely in the water. The boater was found wearing his life jacket and his boat’s emergency engine cut-off switch, which Game Wardens say aided in the discovery.
The rescue operation also included nearby fire and police departments, Air Evac 67, and multiple drone teams.