By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
When a news story about two deaths on Lake Cumberland came out on Friday and the victims were two unidentified teenagers on a jet ski, it was enough to grip the hearts of every parent reading it.
The news report said: Two people were killed on Lake Cumberland Friday afternoon in a collision involving a jet ski and a boat. Pulaski County Coroner Clyde Strunk confirmed the deaths, saying the accident happened sometime around 12:30 p.m. Friday. His office received a call to respond to the Woodson Bend Boat Dock at 1:23 p.m. Strunk said that the two victims were aged 14 and 18 and had been on the jet ski. He could not release names at this time.
The bodies of the victims are being transported to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Strunk said he did not believe the occupants of the boat were injured in the accident.
He said that while speed may have been a factor in the collision, no alcohol was involved.
“It was just a tragic accident,” he said.
A ‘tragic accident’ that is every parent’s worst nightmare.
What followed brought that ‘tragic accident’ home to Northern Kentucky when the victims were identified as brothers, Chase and Cole Fischer, the beloved sons of Greg and Amy Fischer of Villa Hills. They are also survived by a sister, Isabelle, a rising senior at Villa Madonna.
Devoted dad, Greg Fischer, chairman of Fischer Homes, had taken his sons, Chase, 18, and Cole, 14, on a guys fun weekend to Cumberland Lake. The two boys were on a jet ski, as dad looked on, and — riding the wake of boats on the lake — drifted into the path of a large high-speed, high-powered ‘cigarette boat’ that couldn’t avoid the collision.
Coroner Strunk said he responded to the call as Fish & Wildlife rescuers brought the boys to shore at Woodson Bend marina, but they were both tragically gone before he arrived.
Strunk described Cumberland Lake as “crowded” this time of year, especially on weekends, creating ‘dangerous’ conditions for all watercraft. He said the occupants of the ‘cigarette boat’ helped bring the boys to shore and that the entire party was ‘shaken’ up but suffered no physical injuries.
Strunk said the results of the autopsy will not be available for several weeks. There was no indication of drugs or alcohol in regard to any of those involved.
Strunk said the lake itself has its own set of risks, as the water narrows up to a point where it is not very wide. If there are multiple crafts in that area, passing lanes are somewhat narrower. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the county can see in excess of 100,000 people who come to enjoy the summer activities.
Chase Fischer graduated from Villa Madonna Academy recently and Cole Fisher finished the 8th grade there and was headed to Elder High School in the fall.
Fischer Homes, leading homebuiders in Northern Kentucky, issued a formal statement on Monday:
The Fischer Homes family is mourning the tragic and profound loss of Chase and Cole Fischer. Our deepest condolences are with their parents, Greg and Amy Fischer, their sister, and their grandparents, Henry and Elaine Fischer. The Fischer Group has always been a company about family, and our team is grieving with and praying for the entire Fischer family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We ask that their privacy be respected during this unimaginable time.
Friends of the family were in shock over the weekend as the enormity of the tragedy struck home. The NKyTribune spoke to a number of those who know the family and who described them as close and devoted to each other. Those who work with Greg Fischer on his many community-good projects described him as a “devoted family man” who loved spending time with his kids. They spoke with reverence and kindness of the “unimaginable” tragedy and the “devastation” — and many added “there are just no words. . .”
The community of friends are embracing the family and reaching out with love and support.
Villa Madonna Academy held a vigil for its school community and prepared resources to help them deal with their grief.
There is a candlelight and prayer vigil at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Crescent Springs tonight from 6-9 p.m. tonight.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.