ARNOLDS PARK — A second fatal boat collision on an Iowa lake in just four days left one person dead and five others injured Sunday afternoon.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said two boats collided on West Lake Okoboji near Pillsbury Point at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday, August 2, 2026.
One person aboard the first vessel died. Five other passengers from that boat were injured, including three who suffered serious injuries and two who sustained minor injuries.
The injured passengers were transported to Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake and Spencer Hospital. Their current conditions have not been released.
All six people aboard the vessel were wearing personal flotation devices when the collision occurred.
No injuries were reported among the passengers aboard the second boat. Investigators have eliminated alcohol as a contributing factor.
The DNR has not released the identities of the person killed or those injured. Officials also have not disclosed the types of boats involved, their operators, their directions of travel or the circumstances that caused the vessels to collide.
The investigation remains underway.
West Lake Okoboji is part of the Iowa Great Lakes and is one of the state’s busiest recreational boating destinations during the summer. Pillsbury Point extends into the lake from the Arnolds Park area, where heavy boat traffic is common during summer weekends.
The deadly collision happened only days after another boater was killed on Clear Lake in Northern Iowa.
On Thursday, July 30, Dennis Ritter, 59, of Meservey, was fishing in the Little Lake portion of Clear Lake with passenger Billy Carlton, 68, of Dows, when Ritter’s 16-foot Alumacraft fishing boat was struck from behind while trolling.
Ritter later died from his injuries at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City. Carlton was treated and released. Alcohol was also eliminated as a contributing factor in that collision.
To read NIT’s complete report on the fatal Clear Lake collision, please click here.
The DNR reminds boaters that Iowa law requires every watercraft to carry an approved life jacket for each person aboard. Officials encourage passengers to wear the devices continuously rather than merely keeping them inside the boat.
Agencies responding at West Lake Okoboji included the DNR Law Enforcement and State Park bureaus, Iowa State Patrol, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, Arnolds Park Police Department, Milford Police Department, Lakes Regional Healthcare and Terril Ambulance.
UPDATE, AUG. 4, 2026:
Zhong Jie Teng, 64, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died from injuries suffered from a boating collision on West Lake Okoboji on Aug. 2.
Teng and five minors were boating near Lime Kiln Point on West Lake Okoboji when their 19-foot Triton fishing boat collided with a Cobalt cabin cruiser operated by Brian Rohlfsen, 49, of Spirit Lake, around 1 p.m.
Teng was transported to Lakes Regional Healthcare, in Spirit Lake, where he was pronounced dead. The condition of the five minors is not currently available.
No injuries were reported from passengers in the second boat. Alcohol has been eliminated as a contributing factor in the incident.
The investigation is ongoing.
They must have been on their phones.
GETTING TO BE A HAZARD TO EVEN GO FISHING, NO SAFE
Too many people. DNR needs to require people to have a boat driver license. Do a written test and a driving test . Won’t happen because the administration we currently have in Iowa has gutted the DNR budget to bare bones. They are severely understaffed. When Rob Sand takes over he will address that.
The state keeps cutting DNR’s budget. It has been the same for the last 10-15 years. Less money means enforcement drops. When that happens, accidents happen.
Right on.