Teenage tourist drove second Jet Ski in Hilton Head crash that killed 20-year-old
New details are emerging from a state investigation into the death Tuesday of a 20-year-old tourist from Pittsburgh after a Jet Ski collision near Hilton Head.
Ciara Eiriz, a fashion merchandising student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two Jet Skis involved in the crash were rented from the same company and traveling in the same group with two instructional guides, S.C. Department of Natural Resources spokesperson David Lucas said Wednesday. Lucas said he did not know the name of the company that rented the Jet Skis to the group.
The other Jet Ski driver was a 19-year-old man from the same area as Eiriz, Lucas said. He said the two did not know each other and were vacationing separately, but knew people in common.
The group left from Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort & Marina and were headed toward Mackay Creek when Jet Skis driven by Eiriz and the 19-year-old crashed.
Both were thrown into the water, Lucas said.
He said the 19-year-old got back on his Jet Ski, but immediately jumped into the water to try to help Eiriz when he saw she was still there. Other people were also trying to help her.
Eventually, Eiriz was taken by boat back to the marina, where first responders treated her.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Indiana University of Pennsylvania spokesperson Michelle Fryling said Wednesday. “We’re very much a family, and we feel anyone’s loss like this.”
SCDNR’s investigation into the crash is ongoing, and the department is interviewing witnesses and others in the Jet Ski group.
