A MAN has died and another seriously injured after a boat accident ahead a memorial event for a champion waterskier killed in the same Hawkesbury River race just one year ago.
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The men were involved in time trials on just before noon on Saturday for the annual Bridge to Bridge waterskiing race from Brooklyn to Windsor when they lost control of the boat and the vessel flipped.
The driver, Daniel McMahon, was rushed to Westmead Hospital with head and limb injuries in a serious and stable condition.
The passenger, who according to the TV network is named Ian Baker, was rescued from the water but died at the scene after a cardiac arrest. He was 44 and from Victoria.
The two waterskiers being towed by the boat were not injured and were able to swim to land.
Officers from Hawkesbury Local Area Command and Broken Bay Water Police remain on scene and have established a crime scene which will be examined by forensic officers.
Sunday's race was a memorial event for world champion waterskier Sarah Teelow, 20, who crashed five kilometres into the 112-kilometre race in 2013.
Chair of Ski Racing Australia Noel Griffin told Fairfax Media the trials had been cancelled but declined to comment on whether the Sunday race would go ahead.
"Ski Racing Australia the governing body of ski racing in Australia is saddened by the death of one of its family of competitors in the qualifying for Sunday's race," Mr Griffin said. "It's one of our family and we are a tight family."
Investigation
The second fatality for the race occurred just hours after Kristie Middleton, the chief executive of governing body Ski Racing Australia, told Fairfax Media her team had carried out its own investigation and found no need to change the sport's safety measures.
"As a result of last year's accident we have had a full internal investigation and found no requirement to make any changes to the robust safety procedures that are in place," Ms Middleton said.
"This is a high speed motor sport and it has an above reasonable safety record," Ms Middleton said.
One year after the accident, there is still no coroner's report on Ms Teelow's death. Her parents, Chris and Tanya, were due to take part in the race on Sunday.
The river has been blocked off as detectives from the Marine Area Command conduct investigations into the causes of the accident.
The boat involved in the accident on Saturday remains in the river, almost completely submerged.
