One woman dead, two missing in Lake Powell boat crash

KANAB, Utah — A Utah man who was driving a motorboat on Lake Powell with 13 people aboard apparently became distracted by some of his young passengers before he hit a houseboat and flipped his watercraft, deputies said.

Adrian Jackman, 59, of South Jordan, apparently tried to swerve when he noticed the moving houseboat but hit its front corner, authorities said.

The Thursday morning accident killed his wife, Marilyn Jackman, 57. His daughter, Jessica Jackman, 22, and his son’s girlfriend, Valerie Rae Bradshaw, 29, of Sandy, Utah, were missing in the water.

Crews used a robot equipped with a camera to search for the missing women Friday in the 400-foot-deep water near Dangling Rope Marina, said Kane County sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Alldredge.

Most of the people aboard the motorboat were family members from northern Utah, deputies said. Nobody on the houseboat was injured.

It’s not uncommon for boaters to venture out early in the morning while the waters of Lake Powell are smooth, Alldredge said. The man-made lake, bordered by sandstone walls and colorful rock formations, is a popular destination for houseboat vacations.

Deputies said the group was headed to Rainbow Bridge — touted as the largest known natural bridge in the world — when the crash happened.

All of the six children aboard were wearing life jackets, officials said. Adrian Jackman and his 11-year-old granddaughter were airlifted to a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz., while a third person was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The three were released later Thursday.