Pair of area teens injured in collision of two personal watercraft

Wednesday, May 20 at approximately 4:50 p.m., Lansing first responders were dispatched to a collision between two personal watercraft (PWC) in the main channel on the Mississippi River, just north of Lansing.

A report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stated that Tyler Wild, age 17, of New Albin, and Clayton Little, age 17, of Lansing, were operating separate PWCs when Wild was coming out of a turn and Little was heading towards Wild down the channel. At that time, both PWCs collided head on. When Little’s PWC hit Wild’s it went up over the top of Wild’s, hitting Wild in the head and knocking him unconscious.

Wild was lying face down in the water until Little was able to assist him into a nearby boat operated by unidentified individuals. Wild was taken to shore where he was provided immediate medical attention. He was then transported to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI where he is recovering from his injuries. Little was treated on the scene and released.

“Slow down and watch for other boaters or personal watercraft and have patience. Operating too fast and too close to other vessels is one of the leading safety violations we see in Iowa.” said Jared Landt, DNR Conservation Officer, in regard to boat or other watercraft traffic. “Fortunately, both Tyler and Clayton were wearing life jackets when this collision happened or this could’ve been much worse.”

The DNR Law Enforcement Bureau continues to investigate the incident. The Lansing Police Department, Lansing Fire Department and Lansing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to the collision.