2nd Fatal Bass Lake Jet Ski Collision This Week

A 14-year-old male died at Bass Lake after hitting a moored pontoon boat with his jet ski.

The accident happened at 11 pm Wednesday night. The Madera County Sheriffs Office says a local resident heard cries for help and took his boat into the lake. He found two males in the water. The resident took them to the Pines Resort dock. When deputies and paramedics arrived he was declared dead at the scene.

"I’ve known them for a very long time. They are a great family the kids are great very athletic, outgoing. Sports minded family. This is a terrible, terrible thing," Owner of Bass Lake Water Sports Tom Tuso said.

Tuso says the teen and his family are from Los Gatos but have a home in Bass Lake.

It’s not unusual for watercraft to be on the lake at night but they must have lights and are restricted to going 5 miles per hour.

"Most jet skis or sea doos don’t have any type of lighting so we don’t think there was lights and additionally you need to be 16 years old to operate a watercraft," Bill Ward with the Madera County Sheriffs Office said.

Ward said they haven’t had a fatal accident on Bass Lake in 10 years but this week they have had two. On Saturday a jet ski hit two teens on an inflatable raft in the water. 13 year old David Florez of Fresno died…his 16-year-old aunt was hospitalized with serious injuries.

"The water level in the lake is the lowest it’s been in a very long time so you are going to have a lot of people on the lake but a lot less area for them to be. So they are going to be a lot closer to each other. People really need to pay attention," Ward said.