Boat wreck investigated, Lake Ozark man suffers serious injuries in Saturday night collision

A two-boat collision that left a Lake Ozark man with serious injuries remains under investigation.
The accident occurred when a 27-foot Fountain and a 29-foot Envision collided  around 9 p.m. Saturday near the 10.5-mile marker, according to the Missouri Water Patrol.
The boats struck head on. According to those on board, neither driver saw the other boat until it was too late.
The Envision was headed upstream while the Fountain was going downstream when they collided. The Fountain apparently went up and over the Envision, becoming airborne and throwing the driver and three passengers overboard. The lower unit of the Fountain was ripped off. When the boat landed, it sank in about 65 feet of water.
The accident left Joseph Bartels, 41, of Lake Ozark, with serious injuries. He was a passenger in the Fountain. He was taken to the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics in Columbia, Mo.
The driver of the Fountain, Kenneth Bartels, 39, of Belton, Mo., received minor injuries.
The Water Patrol report did not indicate if he sought medical treatment. The two other passengers on the Fountain managed to escape without injuries.
The driver of the Envision, Troy Elbert, 41, of St. Joseph, Mo., was not injured. One passenger in his boat, Christina Fike, 42, reportedly received minor injuries but did not seek medical attention.
Contact this reporter at joycem@lakesunleader.com