Tragically, a boating accident on Lake Tahoe resulted in the loss of eight lives, including Doordash executive Josh Pickles and his family, this past Saturday. The boat capsized during a sudden storm that brought with it waves reaching eight feet and winds gusting to 35 mph.
In addition to 37-year-old Josh, the victims included his father, Terry Pickles, aged 73, and his mother, Paula Bozinovich, who was 71. The group had been celebrating Paula’s birthday aboard a 27-foot powerboat, according to family spokesman Samsinger.
“The family has ties to both the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. They adore the lake, which makes this tragedy even more poignant,” he remarked.
Ravi Inukonda, Doordash’s Chief Financial Officer, expressed deep sorrow about the impact of Josh’s absence on the company, noting how pivotal he was during his nearly seven years there.
“Josh had a way of inspiring everyone around him. His spirit was infectious, and the loss to our team is simply immeasurable,” he stated.
Pickles had been overseeing strategic procurement in the finance division at Doordash. He is survived by his wife, Jordan Sugar Carlsgaard, and their seven-month-old daughter.
Jordan, who works as an executive assistant at Airbnb, was not on the boat at the time. She remained ashore to care for their child. “Words can’t truly capture the anguish they are feeling after losing so many loved ones,” she shared in a statement.
Other victims included Josh’s uncle, Peter Bayes, 72, along with family friends Timothy O’Leary, 71, Theresa Jurari, 66, James Gak, 69, and Stephen Lindsay, 63. Officials confirmed that two additional passengers survived but were hospitalized due to hypothermia and other injuries.
It’s worth noting that the Pickles family had recently purchased the boat, which they called “Criscruft,” just last year. They had only taken it out a couple of times before this unfortunate incident. This event has marked one of the deadliest boating accidents in California since the fire that claimed the lives of 34 passengers in 2019.
