Harrowing surveillance has captured a speedboat veering off a river and crashing into a home, killing the married couple on board.
The disturbing video shows the vessel bouncing over a rough wave while heading for the shoreline of the Fox River in McHenry, Illinois.
After hitting land, it continues to speed along a patch of grass before hitting a property and jerking to a halt.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the collision was so violent that “the hull of the boat was separated in two pieces.
Despite efforts from witnesses at the scene to rescue the couple on board, Julie Mertins, 61, was pronounced dead. She suffered blunt force injuries.
Husband Timothy, 62, was airlifted to a nearby hospital after he survived the initial crash but died on the operating table. The coroner ruled his death was also connected to blunt force injuries.
The Mertins had been married for over 30 years and would have celebrated their wedding anniversary this month.
The cause of the incident remains to be confirmed and toxicology reports on both victims are still pending.
According to witnesses, the speedboat was traveling “very fast”.
One witness told the Lake & McHenry Scanner that the boat made a “huge circle around, back toward the rock” but did not slow down as it approached the shore.
The couple were described as “extremely family-oriented” and eager to spend time together with their friends.
The family praised Julie as “selfless” and as someone who “never forgot the important milestones for the innumerable people she counted among her friends and family”.
Tim was a “loving” husband and father, an outdoorsman “meticulous about his house, cars, and boat.”
Their obituary read: “They did everything together from yard work to grocery shopping. Tim and Julie loved to entertain and never needed a reason why.
“They enjoyed being regulars at different local establishments and had a particular appreciation for any and all live music.
“If Tim was the Captain, Julie was First Mate, and they loved getting out on the water every chance they had. They would have celebrated 33 years of marriage on October 20.”
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