Eight people perished when their boat overturned on Lake Tahoe during an unexpected storm, including a 37-year-old DoorDash CEO who was a new father.
Josh Pickles, the DoorDash executive, had friends or family among the seven boaters that perished. According to a family spokesperson, they were all in Tahoe to commemorate his mother’s 71st birthday. Paula Bozinovich, his mother, also perished in the event.
Ten individuals were on board the 27-foot powerboat near D.L. Bliss State Park in southwest Lake Tahoe when a strong thunderstorm quickly deteriorated the lake’s conditions on Saturday afternoon. In just a few minutes, winds increased from 5 to 10 mph to 35 to 45 mph, according to neighbors and officials. The waves rose to 7- to 10-foot chops, and the temperature plummeted by nearly 20 degrees into the upper 30s.
California
When the weather drastically changed on Saturday, hundreds of boats were out throughout Lake Tahoe. Several boats capsized as a result of high waves and increasing winds.
Josh Pickles’ boat eventually capsized, along with several others on the lake that afternoon. Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, someone reported 10 persons in the water, which had grown dangerously cold and choppy. The Coast Guard and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene.
Six people were discovered dead after authorities first managed to pull two people out of the water and transport them to a hospital. The final two occupants’ bodies would be discovered by search and rescue personnel over the course of the following two days, increasing the number of fatalities to eight.
Josh Pickles, of San Francisco, and his parents, Bozinovich and Terry Pickles, both 73, of Redwood City, as well as his uncle, Peter Bayes, 72, of Lincoln, and other close family friends, 71-year-old Timothy O. Leary, of Auburn, 66-year-old Theresa Giullari and 69-year-old James Guck, both of Honeoye, N.Y., and 63-year-old Stephen Lindsay, of Springwater, N.Y., were identified by officials on Tuesday.
In a statement, Josh Pickles’ widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, said, “We are devastated by this tragedy.” The sorrow and sadness we feel knowing that their lives were taken at what should have been a happy day on the lake are beyond words. Our thoughts and prayers are with the two survivors and the sadly deceased from this horrific and unplanned storm on Lake Tahoe.
Recently, Sugar-Carlsgaard and her spouse brought a baby into the world. Sugar-Carlsgaard and the 7-month-old infant were not on the boat on Saturday.
The boat that capsized belonged to Josh and Terry Pickles, who bought it last year, according to family representative Sam Singer. According to Singer, they had only taken the boat out on the water three times.
According to Singer, Josh Pickles and his spouse owned properties in Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay Area.
DoorDash’s chief financial officer, Ravi Inukonda, indicated that the company was grieved by Josh Pickles’ passing.
According to a statement from Inukonda, Josh was an inspiration to everyone who had the honor of knowing him and loved his team. His infectious spirit uplifted everyone around him during his nearly seven years at DoorDash. Josh’s loss is incalculable. We shall always remember him and miss him terribly.
Josh Pickles oversaw global strategic sourcing and procurement for the organization.
Inukonda stated, “We send our love and thoughts to his wife, his daughter, his family, and everyone who was close to him.” Our goal is to help them get through this really trying time.
It is too early in the investigation to remark on the use of life vests, according to a sheriff’s office official. The spokeswoman stated that no cause of death has been established and declined to comment on the present condition of the survivors.
The Tahoe Environmental Research Center at UC Davis reported that the lake’s water temperature on Saturday was still below 60 degrees. Officials warn that if someone is exposed to water below 70 degrees for an extended length of time, it might cause hypothermia.
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