Three friends died in a devastating boat accident in Ontario, Canada, which remains under investigation.
The trio died after a speedboat collided with their fishing boat in the Buck’s Bay region of Bobs Lake, north of the city of Kingston, on the afternoon of May 18.
The victims were between 21 and 23 years old and were identified as Kaila Bearman, Juliette Côté and Riley Orr.
In the wake of their deaths, friends and loved ones took to social media to post moving tributes.
Juliette Côté (pictured) was one of three young adults who died in a boating accident on Ontario’s Bobs Lake last week.
Also among the victims was Kaila Bearman (pictured), whose name was made public several days after the May 18 crash.
Riley Orr, 23, also died in the accident, in which five other people were taken to the hospital with injuries of varying severity.
Orr, 23, came from South Frontenac and attended Sydenham High School. He was an avid student-athlete who played sports during his youth, including minor football with the Syndenham Bulldogs and baseball with the Kingston Thunder.
Before his death, Orr worked with Frontenac Plumbing Service, who posted their own tribute on social media.
“Riley Orr started FPS in April 2018, at age eighteen,” the statement said. ‘We had the privilege and pleasure of seeing him develop into an exceptional young man, with a lot of potential. “He will be greatly missed here.”
“How I will permanently remember this boy,” a friend captioned a photo of Orr lying in the snow as a child. ‘Too many memories to count… lucky to have grown up with you and known you as a friend. “Many will miss you.”
Bearman and Côté also graduated from Limestone School District high schools. Bearman graduated from Regiopolis-Notre Dame High School and played volleyball and soccer, while Côté graduated from LaSalle High School and played field hockey and soccer.
“Rest easy angel,” a close friend wrote under a photo of her and Bearman, who was described as a close friend. “Take care of each other up there.”
Another woman shared a selfie of her and Côté and wrote: “Give the sky some hell babies, we will never forget.”
At the time of her death, Côté was working at a family interior design business called Côté Co. alongside her mother, Alison.
No charges have yet been laid as the Ontario Provincial Police (pictured at the scene) are conducting an investigation.
Bearman (left) and Orr (right) died when a speedboat collided with their fishing boat.
Côté (pictured) was working at a family-owned interior design business, Côté Co., at the time of his death.
Kingston-based contractor Matt Splinter (pictured) owned the speedboat involved in the accident.
Five other people between the ages of 21 and 44 were taken to a local hospital after the crash, including one transported by air ambulance. Others were examined at the scene by Frontenac County paramedics.
A red speedboat labeled ‘Y Wouldn’t Ya’ could be seen piled on top of the wreckage as it was towed ashore.
The owner of that boat, a Kingston-based contractor named Matt Splinter, had announced that he planned to take the boat into the water days before the fatal accident.
‘My girl and I are going out tomorrow morning for the first session of the season! The driftwood is gone and it’s time to put down the damn hammer! Splinter wrote in a May 12 Facebook post. The account has since been deleted.
A police spokesperson said no charges have yet been filed as the investigation is ongoing, and discouraged the public from speculating about the factors involved in the crash.
‘It’s a horrible situation. There were still people in the water when lifeguards arrived,” Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson Bill Dickson said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.
He ended the message with a call to respect the privacy of the victims’ families.
