Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources said Sunday two men were injured Saturday evening when the personal water crafts (PWCs) they were operating on the Des Moines River hit an obstruction near the surface of the water. Injured was 42-year old Christian Whitney, of Rippey and 42-year old Kevin Davis, of Johnston. Both were transported to Boone County Hospital with Davis later being transferred to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

Whitney and Davis were operating separate PWCs at approximately 7 p.m. when the collision occurred near U.S. Highway 30 west of Boone. Both were wearing life jackets which likely saved their lives after being thrown into the river following the collision. A third PWC operator in the group, Alexander Goodburn, 30, of Ankeny, was not involved in the collision, but was arrested for boating while intoxicated and booked into the Boone County jail.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was assisted at the scene by the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Boone Police Department. The DNR is investigating the incident including trying to determine what the obstruction was in the water that caused the collision.