Boat Plows Into Stopped Tritoon With Tuber Near The Toll Bridge

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — A boat and tritoon collided head-on over the holiday weekend in the main channel near the mouth of Porto Cima Cove.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 2003 Formula boat driven by John Morrow, of the Kansas City area, was headed upstream at 2:40 p.m., Saturday, July 3, when it reportedly collided with a 2020 Premier Tritoon stopped to pull a tuber out of the water on the main channel at the 15.5 mile marker.

The tritoon, a rental driven by Jesse Otero, reportedly had a flag up when the Formula collided with it, according to the Highway Patrol. Several passengers aboard jumped in the water and everyone escaped injury on both vessels.

The Formula suffered motor damage for unknown reasons. 

A trooper that responded to the scene was surprised by the minimal body damage to both vessels and surmised the collision did not happen at a high rate of speed. 

After reportedly admitting to the patrol that he simply did not see the tritoon, Marrow was cited for operating a vessel above idle speed within 50 yards of another vessel with a skier down and flag up.

Editor's Note: The main channel near the toll bridge is notorious for choppy water and an area where boats frequently slow to plowing speeds to avoid hitting wakes too fast. One of the highest trafficked areas of the Lake, the main channel in this location is not an optimal place to safely pull a tuber on a busy Saturday during a holiday weekend.