LAKE CONROE, Texas – The wife of a man who was killed Tuesday in a boat crash on Lake Conroe has died in the hospital.
The couple's daughter was injured in the accident.
Investigators said a child called 911 around 9:22 p.m. and reported that there had been a boat crash and her father was seriously injured.
Investigators are calling the girl who dialed 911 and led them to the scene, a hero.
“She was alone able to talk us to her. Before we arrived on scene we knew where we were going. We knew what we were coming up on. We knew what we had to do before every getting there,” said Lt. Tim Cade.
Officers found the 39-year-old father, identified as Jason Clark, of Magnolia, unresponsive on a damaged bass boat along with his 10-year-old daughter. The mother had to be rescued from the water, deputies said.
VIDEO: Officials discuss fatal Lake Conroe boat crash
Another boat was flipped over and two other men had to be pulled from the water.
The father was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother was taken to Conroe Regional Trauma Center in critical condition. She died in the hospital.
The child was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The two other men were not injured.
“Her (the child who called 911) information was critical. She even used her light on her phone as a beacon,” said Constable Philip Cash with Montgomery County Pct. 1.
Investigators said the family of three were anchored on the bass boat when another boat carrying two men was heading in for a weigh-in deadline and crashed into the family's boat.
According to the Lakeview Marina owner, the man driving the boat that crashed into the family was competing in a fishing tournament.
According to investigators, both boats were well-lit. It is unclear what caused the crash.
"There's lots of lights from all the houses, so sometimes it's hard to distinguish the running lights on your boat from a house light," fisherman John Jay said.
Jay said boat crashes on the lakes are not rare in the summer.
"I hate to say it but usually there's a boat accident or somebody gets injured about every summer," he said.
The driver of the boat was given a field sobriety test, and officers found that he was not intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Some people at the marina who knew the driver said he knew the lake very well but his familiarity just wasn't enough in the dark.
No charges have been filed.
Four people have lost their lives on Lake Conroe since the first of the year. There have been 19 boating-related fatalities on Texas rivers and lakes so far this year.
The Montgomery County Precinct 1 Lake Patrol is assisting Texas Game Wardens in the investigation.
