An Illinois man died and five other people were injured the night of June 12 in a boat crash on the Meramec River near George Winter Park in the Fenton area in St. Louis County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
At about 8:45 p.m., the boat hit a rock near Schuessler Road, causing the front of the boat to split open and trapping Milos Marjanovic, 34, of Brookfield, Ill., inside, Saline Valley Fire Protection District Chief Bob Dunn.
Marjanovic was pronounced dead at the scene, the patrol reported.
Zarko Nedeljkovic, 34, of St. Louis, who was driving the 2003 Bayliner 180 BR when it hit the rock, was seriously injured and taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County, the report said.
However, the hospital had no information about him, a Mercy spokesman said.
Nedeljkovic and the four other passengers on the boat were thrown into the river, Dunn said.
Two of the other passengers – Aleksandar Marjanov, 35, of Hickory Hills, Ill., and Ljiljana Saric, 39, of Chicago, Ill. – also were seriously injured and taken by ambulance to Mercy South, the patrol reported.
Saric was listed in satisfactory condition on Monday (June 14), but the hospital had no information about Marjanov, the Mercy spokesman said.
The other two passengers – Milos Stojilkovic, 31, of St. Louis and Ilic Miljan, 34, of High Point, N.C. – both had minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to Mercy South, where they were treated and released, the hospital spokesman said.
Dunn said he believes the boat was traveling at a high speed, and visibility was poor at the time.
None of the six people in the crash were wearing life jackets, the patrol reported.
The boat was totaled, according to the highway patrol.
Dunn said the High Ridge, Saline Valley, Fenton and Mehlville fire protection district responded to the scene and used boats to help with the rescue.
He said crews were on the scene until 10:24 p.m.