A Doordash leader and family members were identified among the eight people killed when a boat capsized Lake Tahoe in California during the weekend.
Josh Pickles, 37, from San Francisco, his parents, Terry Pickles 73 years old and Paula Bozinovich, 71, from Redwood City, and his uncle, Peter Bayes, 72, from Lincoln, died on Saturday in recent years.
“No word can express the pain and anxiety that we feel knowing that their life was lost during what was supposed to be a joyful moment on the lake,” Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard said in a press release on Tuesday.
“Our hearts go to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and fatal storm on Lake Tahoe.”
Two people were saved immediately after returning from the boat. Their identities and conditions were not known on Wednesday.
Ten people were aboard the eight-meter gold Chris-Craft ship when he capsized on June 21, on the southwest edge of the lake, while the storm whipped the tall waves with winds of about 30 knots and swells going up to eight feet, according to coastal guard officials.
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The rescuers and divers searched the region on Saturday evening and resumed their research on Sunday morning before the Coast Guard suspends its search.
Timothy O’Leary, 71, from Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, from Honeyoye, NY; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, from Springwater, NY, the The Sheriff’s Bureau of the County of El Dorado said Tuesday.
“The Sheriff’s Bureau of the County of El Dorado extends its deepest condolences to the families of those who have been lost and of all those who have been affected by this tragic event,” added the sheriff’s office.
Sam Singer, a family spokesperson, said: “The waves were so large that the water arrived on board and started filling the boat and blocked the engine.”
The group celebrated Bozinovich’s birthday on his son’s boat, which he bought about a year ago, according to Singer.
Sucre-carlsgaard had stayed at home taking care of their seven-month-old daughter, said Singue.
The couple, who married in 2023, both worked in technological companies in San Francisco. Josh Pickles worked at Doordash and Sugar-Carlsgaard Works at Airbnb.
They divided their time between the houses of the Baie and Lake Tahoe, where they had used their boat only twice before.
Ravi Inukonda, Director of Doordash, said that the death of Josh, who has been working in the business for almost seven years, had left them with a broken heart.
“Josh loved his team and was an inspiration for all those who had the privilege of knowing him,” said Inukonda in a statement. “Our thoughts and our love are with his wife, daughter, family and all those who were close to him.”
Drowning and other accidental deaths occur every year on the lake, but navigation accidents with many deaths are rare, said South Lake Tahoe Police Lieutenant, Lieutenant Scott Crivelli.
There are on average six deaths on the lake each summer, although there was a record of 15 deaths in 2021, he said.
“I do not remember the last time that there were eight dead at a time and I have been here for 16 years,” said Crivelli.
– With files from the Associated Press
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