Tahoe boating accident may have involved 'two gallons' of boozy cocktail

"Hours later, the boat capsized in a microburst that suddenly broke out on Lake Tahoe on June 21, 2025. Eight of the 10 occupants on board drowned, including Pickles and his parents. It was the deadliest boating accident in Lake Tahoe's recent history and likely the deadliest in California since 2019, when 34 people died in a fire on a boat offshore of Ventura County. The U.S. Coast Guard declared it a major marine casualty and the National Transportation Safety Board conducted an investigation last year, reporting that the eight people who died were not wearing personal flotation devices."

"The group docked at the harbor in South Lake Tahoe and went to Riva Grill, a lakeside restaurant and bar, where they purchased "two gallons of Wet Woody's," according to information recently released by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. A Wet Woody is a signature drink of Riva Grill and Gar Woods, two well-established lakefront restaurants in Tahoe. It's essentially a frozen rum punch that's infamous for being a stiff, strong alcoholic beverage. Two gallons is enough for about 32 8-ounce cocktails. A toxicology report, however, indicated alcohol was not a factor in the accident."

"Now, with a pair of reports the sheriff's office released to SFGATE, more information has surfaced about the accident, including details about the circumstances leading up to the boat capsizing, how much alcohol was on board and a first-person account from one of the survivors, who tried to hand out personal flotation devices to the other passengers before the boat capsized, to no avail."

A 28-foot Chris-Craft owned by a DoorDash executive traveled across Lake Tahoe with several people aboard. The group docked in South Lake Tahoe and bought two gallons of Wet Woody’s, a frozen rum punch, at a lakeside restaurant. Hours later, on June 21, 2025, a microburst struck the lake and caused the boat to capsize. Eight of the ten occupants drowned, including the owner and his parents. Toxicology indicated alcohol was not a factor in the accident. Reports from the sheriff’s office and investigations by federal agencies noted that the eight who died were not wearing personal flotation devices, and a survivor described trying to distribute flotation devices before the capsizing.

Read at SFGATE