O'LEARY BOAT TRAGEDY: Wind, waves stall investigation
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The OPPs investigation into a tragic Muskoka boating collision that claimed two lives — and involved celebrity tycoon Kevin O’Leary — ran into choppy weather.
Officers postponed their investigation into last Saturday night’s fatal cottage-country boat crash on Lake Joseph, 210 kilometres north of Toronto.
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“It all depends because we are also dealing with the elements when it comes to reconstructioning for a marine fatality. It was a clear night and a calm night (on Saturday),” Staff-Sgt. Carolle Dionne told the Toronto Sun.
“At night time, you’re still responsible for the water in front of you; you’re still responsible for what’s around you,” she added. “You’re responsible for that vessel.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners congregated at Low and Low Funeral Home in Uxbridge to pay their respects at a visitation Friday for Suzana Vieira Brito, 48, of Uxbridge, who died in hospital two days after the collision.
A funeral will be held for the a mom of three children — ages 12, 11 and nine — on Saturday.
The family asked the media for privacy Friday after dealing with a swarm of unwanted international media attention while grieving. The Sun respected their wishes.
Retired accountant and father of two, Gary Poltash, 64, a Florida resident, was killed instantly in the collision.
The probe could also take longer than usual to complete because of the involvement of a celebrity. O’Leary is a well-known reality TV star, who appears on the U.S. show Shark Tank, and had been a regular on the Canadian Dragon’s Den.
“When we ask for the public’s assistance for any information and the media (are) involved to a high extent, some people will give out information that’s not necessarily pertinent to the investigation but we have to follow-up on all leads,” said OPP Const. Joe Scali.
Gossip website TMZ first broke the news O’Leary was involved in the fatal boat crash.
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He first declined to comment, but hours later released a carefully-crafted statement blaming the other boat for not having its lights on and claiming the other vessel fled the scene. A spokesman for O’Leary said that his wife, Linda, was behind the wheel of the boat.
Occupants in the other vessel insisted it was O’Leary who took off and that they had their boat lights on.
The OPP clarified that both boats quickly left the area of the crash — near Emerald Island at Hamer Bay — to seek medical attention for the injured.
The OPP have deployed officers from the force’s identification services and marine collision units to investigate the case.
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