BREAKING NEWS -- IJSBA Racer Dies In Jet-Ski Crash
LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ - A racer from Rome, Italy was killed during competition at the International Jet Sports Boating Association World Finals on Lake Havasu Friday. The victim was severely injured when his personal watercraft collided with another when racing about 80 miles per hour, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Sergeant Doug Schuster.
Schuster said another racer was attempting a pass on the inside of the victim when the collision occured off Crazy Horse Beach at about 2:20 p.m. He said the watercraft attempting the pass spun 360 degrees, striking the victim in the head.
The victim, Vismara Cesare, 37, was knocked off the course and off his personal watercraft. A third racer who was leading the heat collided with Cesare's unoccupied watercraft, suffering minor injuries according to Schuster.
Cesare was pronounced dead on arrival at Lake Havasu Regional Medical Center. The other racer involved in the initial collision was uninjured.
The ISJBA suspended the rest of Friday's races following the tragedy.
``In consultation with the competitors, we decided that it was in the best interest of all concerned to postpone all racing activities, resuming early Saturday morning," said Scorr Frazier, IJSBA Executive Director.
The ten day ISJBA World Finals drew 650 entries from 31 states and 36 nations.