Five people died in an accident involving two boats Saturday on the Wilmington River, near Savannah, Georgia. Four of them were members of the local Leffler family.
The deceased were identified by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division as: teacher and football coach Christopher David Leffler, 51; his wife, Lori Lynn Leffler, 50; son Zachary James Leffler, 23; other son Nathan Leffler, 17; and Robert Steven Chauncey, 37, who was on the other boat.
The accident occurred when two motorboats were traveling in opposite directions and collided into each other. There were a total of nine people on the two boats, and two were confirmed dead at the scene, NBC News reported. The other three were declared missing but were later discovered and pronounced dead Sunday.
The other four were transported to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries. Among the survivors were the Lefflers' college-age daughter, Katie, and her friend, according to local NBC affiliate WSAV. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Katie Leffler.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation. Officials have charged 45-year-old Mark Stegall with boating under the influence. It's not clear how he's pleaded. According to the Coast Guard, alcohol plays a role in nearly 20% of boating deaths.
A man who witnessed the crash and uses the same marina as the Lefflers, Roger Phillips, told NBC News that he owns a boat similar to those involved in the crash and has been boating on the same waterways for years and has never seen an accident as bad as Saturday's.
Another tragedy took place on the water this Memorial Day weekend in Seneca, Illinois. A 30-foot recreational vessel with 17 people on the boat caught fire near the Spring Brook Marina, according to a report received by the U.S. Coast Guard. All passengers made it to shore, but more than a dozen were hospitalized for their injuries. One person's were especially serious.
Wearing a life jacket or other personal flotation device while boating can help improve odds of survival should an accident take place because there can be limited time to react, even if you can swim.