Investigation continues in fatal boat crash

Authorities were granted a search warrant to draw blood from the operator of the boat involved in a fatal crash.

Authorities investigating an Aug. 5 fatal Lorain boat crash were granted a search warrant by Lorain County Common Pleas Court to draw blood from the water craft’s operator.

Common Pleas Judge James L. Miraldi has granted a search warrant request Aug. 8 to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as part of a continuing investigation into the crash at Hot Waters Boat Ramp in Lorain that left a Wayne County man dead.

According to the warrant, the natural resources department requested blood drawn from a 37-year-old victim in the crash who was driving the boat to investigate possible offenses including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault and/or vehicular homicide.

The deceased man was identified as 44-year-old Ivan Yoder.

Cause of death is undetermined pending the Lorain County coroner’s report.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the call at 4:35 p.m. after what was described as a 20-foot, open- construction boat that crashed in Lake Erie about 10 miles north of Lorain, according to Joe Neff, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard responded to find one person in the boat and four in the water, Neff said.

“One of the boat’s occupants said the crash was caused because it had hit three wakes,” he said.

According to investigators, all five victims were transported to Mercy Health-Lorain Hospital with the driver and one other victim flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland with more serious injuries.