Missouri’s Most Dangerous Lake Claims Another Life in Boat Crash

Another weekend at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri has turned tragic. Early Saturday evening, a boat struck a fixed object in the water claiming the life of a 44-year-old Sunrise Beach, Missouri woman.

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According to a bulletin from the Missouri Highway Patrol, a boat being driven by 60-year-old Bobby J. Childers of Sunrise Beach, Missouri struck a breakwater near the 24-mile mark in the main channel of Lake of the Ozarks at approximately 7:40pm Saturday. There were 3 other occupants in the boat which were thrown into the water as a result of the crash. One occupant, 44-year-old Nicolette McKenna of Sunrise Beach, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Curtis and Connor Wilkie of Kansas City both suffered what were described as minor injuries.

A breakwater according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is "an offshore structure (such as a wall) protecting a harbor or beach from the force of waves".

According to a report on AOL, the driver Bobby J. Childers of Sunrise Beach, Missouri was "charged with boating while intoxicated causing the death of another and careless and imprudent operation".

The story also says that Nicolette McKenna's sister on a Facebook post said that her other sister died earlier in 2023.

As we've shared previously, Lake of the Ozarks is frequently ranked as not just the most dangerous lake in Missouri, but also the entire United States with the highest number of fatalities from boating accidents like this one. It's just another sad example of a weekend that was intended for fun and relaxation that becomes tragic.