Jet skier dies after going airborne on wake at the Ozarks, Missouri officials say

A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday, Sept. 7, after he crashed a jet ski on the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri officials say.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday at the five mile marker of the main channel of the lake in Camden County.

Russell Rauba was operating a 2011 Kawasaki PWC when he struck a wake and went airborne, patrol officers said. When the jet ski landed, Rauba slid off of it and lost consciousness, officials said.

Rauba, of Jefferson City, was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead about an hour after the crash, according to the state highway patrol.

According to a LinkedIn page, Rauba was retired after working nearly 32 years for Chevron. He was a graduate of University of Missouri in Columbia.

There have been six deaths reported this year on the Lake of the Ozarks. The victims range in age 29 to 62.

This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 5:56 AM with the headline "Jet skier dies after going airborne on wake at the Ozarks, Missouri officials say."