Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary involved in a fatal boating accident in Ontario when his smaller craft hit a larger boat and flew over the top, striking a male passenger in a head and killing him
Kevin O’Leary’s love of boating turned tragic on Saturday when the Shark Tank star was involved in a fatal boating accident in Ontario, Canada, that left one man dead and another woman critically injured.
The Canadian businessman, 65, told TMZ that he was a passenger on his boat, and claimed the other craft didn’t have its light on when they collided around 11:30 p.m.
Deadly accident: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary was involved in a fatal boat accident late Saturday night in Ontario, Canada, when his boat crashed into a larger craft, killing one person and injuring another; pictured in January
According to representatives for O’Leary, the reality star’s boat was being driven by his wife, and a third woman was also on board with them.
The trio were sailing on Lake Joseph when his boat smashed into a larger boat.
The smaller craft flew over the top of the larger boat and struck a male passenger in a head, killing him.
Police aren’t expected to release the names of the parties involved unless criminal charges are filed.
According to a rep for O’Leary, the boat was driven by his wife, who passed a DUI test after the crash. A third woman was also on board and treated for minor injuries
A source connected to the owner of the larger boat claimed that O’Leary’s boat fled the scene after the collision, but a representative for the Shark Tank fixture said that it was the other boat that left the scene.
Kevin also released a short statement trying to clear up the matter.
‘Late Saturday night I was a passenger in a boat that had a tragic collision with another craft that had no navigation lights on and then fled the scene of the accident,’ Kevin wrote in a statement. ‘I am fully cooperating with authorities.’
‘Out of respect for the families who have lost loved ones and to fully support the ongoing investigation, I feel it is inappropriate to make further comments at this time. My thoughts are with all the families affected.’
Opening up: ‘Late Saturday night I was a passenger in a boat that had a tragic collision with another craft that had no navigation lights on and then fled the scene of the accident,’ Kevin wrote in a statement. ‘I am fully cooperating with authorities’; still from Shark Tank
O’Leary’s representative went on to say that his wife was administered a DUI test after the accident and passed it.
They also claimed that the third person in their boat was injured in the collision and received stitches at the hospital before being released.
Kevin’s boat was reportedly towed to the marina on Monday and seized for forensic testing by police.
Multiple sources familiar with the incident pointed to the potential absence of navigation lights as a crucial factor in determining fault for the crash.
It’s unclear which of the businessman’s two boats were involved, though a witness described it a a ‘wakeboarding boat.’
In an Instagram post from late August in 2018, O’Leary shared a photo of his ‘BatBoat,’ adding in the caption that he was ‘going to be surfing up a storm on this beast over the weekend.’
Conflicting statements: A source connected to the owner of the larger boat said Kevin’s boat fled the scene, but he claimed it was the larger boat that actually left after the crash
According to the source from the larger boat, there were eight passengers present on Saturday night.
The dead man was reportedly a 64-year-old Florida man and the woman injured was a 48-year-old Canadian.
She’s reportedly on a ventilator and suffered brain damage in the accident.
There’s no word from police yet if alcohol factored into the collision in any way.
Lake life: The reality star has frequently posted about his love of boating and his house on the water
O’Leary and his wife share a lake house near the site of the accident.
He shared a photo of the area to Instagram in July showing the tree line at the edge of the water.
‘I call this the “Wedge” it’s a natural phenomenon of nature located where our lake house home is situated! Just beautiful!’
