Water crash in Oro-Medonte sends one person to hospital, other man facing charges

OPP investigate a collision between a sea-doo and a parked boat in Oro-Medonte on Fri. June 2, 2023 (Chris Garry/CTV News Barrie)

One person has suffered serious injuries in a crash on the water in Oro-Medonte.

Provincial police say they were called to the area of Lakeshore Drive West around 6 p.m. for a marine incident. According to police, the collision involved sea-doo and a parked boat.

One male had serious injuries and was taken to RVH before being transported by ORNGE air ambulance to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

A 60-year-old man who was driving another sea-doo has been charged with impaired driving. 

"With boating safety, there's lots of different things that could cause a collision, one being a person not being familiar with the watercraft, alcohol could be something that could cause a collision, speed [could be] another," said Const. Derek Tilley.

Police say the sea-doo was not a rental but could not confirm who owned it. It also is unclear if those involved had ties to any of the homes in the area that emergency crews were called to.

OPP are reminding the public of the importance of safety on the water as they've already responded to multiple serious incidents so far this year.

"The Orillia detachment has already dealt with fatalities on the water, and it's early in the season. So the biggest message that we want to get out is be safe on the water," said Tilley. "Obey the rules of the water when you're on a watercraft, wear your floatation devices and act accordingly so that there's lots of safe avenues for everyone to enjoy the water."

The investigation is ongoing as police look to determine the cause of the collision.