Teenage brothers killed in Lake Cumberland jet ski boating accident identified

Two teenage boys killed in a jet ski accident on Lake Cumberland in July have been identified.

Pulaski County Coroner Clyde Strunk said Cole Fischer, 14, and Chase Fischer, 18, died July 14 after a boat collided with the jet ski they were riding near the Woodson Bend Boat Dock.

The boys were from Villa Hills in Kenton County.

Fischer Homes, which is headquartered in Erlanger, released a statement on July 17, according to multiple published reports, acknowledging the loss of chairman Greg Fischer’s teenage sons.

“The Fischer Homes family is mourning the tragic and profound loss of Chase and Cole Fischer,” said the statement. “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.”

The accident happened about 12:45 p.m. on Friday. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said in a news release that it happened in the South Fork of the Cumberland River. The boat that was involved took the victims to shore, where they were treated by Somerset-Pulaski County EMS before being declared dead at the scene by the Pulaski County coroner, the release stated.

Strunk told Herald-Leader reporting partner WKYT that the boys were wearing life jackets and that he does not think alcohol was a factor in the collision.

The bodies were taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Fischer Homes is one of the largest home-building companies in the U.S., with communities in Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Atlanta, St. Louis and Mason, Ohio.

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