A Houston native was killed last month when a boat she was helping repair exploded on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Department said Kayla Woolsey, 23, and her stepfather, who both worked for L&H Dock Company, came from Hollister to repair a boat docked at the lake. Alan Bland, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Woolsey was standing on the boat while her stepfather was welding, and it exploded in a parking space near the boat ramp.
Woolsey suffered severe injuries and died from her wounds. Her stepfather was not injured.
Investigators believe a spark from the welding ignited fumes, but it wasn’t immediately known what type of fumes. There were oxygen tanks onboard the boat, but it wasn’t confirmed that they caused the explosion.
Woolsey was born Nov. 16, 1989, in Houston. Her funeral services were May 30 in Branson.