Woman, 24, dies in horror Portland tubing crash after being 'flung into boat' as friend watched

A young woman was killed in a horror tubing accident after a boat driver turned too fast and slammed her into another vessel , her friend claims.

On June 22, Kaileigh Seidel died from injuries after being involved in the collision on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon . According to police, the 24-year-old was "thrown" from the boat at 8pm that evening.

Meanwhile, her friend who was also on board, Millie Lovea, could do nothing but watch helplessly. Now, she blames the boat driver for her friend's death, saying that the driver was "whipping back and forth through the river."

READ MORE: Boy, 5, dies as boat capsizes while ehe's tangled in fishing net amid huge thunderstorm

READ MORE: Fury as Utica cop shoots boy, 13, dead who 'displayed handgun' that turned out to be pellet gun

Millie said the driver took a turn too fast and ended up crashing the tube - and Kaileigh - into another boat. She also claimed her friend begged the person at the helm to slow down and to drive less erratically - but they didn't listen.

Millie said: "My beautiful best friend and I had just gotten out on the water, having what seemed like a fun time, when everything changed in an instant. Seeing my friend hurt and feeling helpless is something I can't shake. Making the call to her family was even worse.

"I'm overwhelmed with guilt and sadness, wondering why things happened the way they did. I keep replaying the events in my mind, questioning what I could have done differently or better to save her. Survivor's guilt is real, and it's something I'm gonna carry every single day."

According to Kaileigh's aunt - Rachelle Hunsperger - the boat driver should be charged with causing her death. She said: "This was not just a simple accident. She did not 'fall off' of a boat. This boat driver needs to be held accountable."

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.

Ms Hunsperger told KPTV that Kaileigh was someone who usually worries, so if she was pleading with the driver to slow down it must have been very dangerous. She added: "That just seems so unlike her. She was always like, let's go, let's have fun. If she was telling somebody to slow down then she was probably scared. This was no simple accident. I feel that there is somebody definitely at fault and hopefully that comes out."

The victim's sister, Aliyah, also blamed the boat driver for their alleged dangerous conduct. She told the local news station: "She was very spontaneous and she loved to have fun. She got invited out on a boat and she had no idea that that would be the last day of her life."

Aliyah also thanked friends and Portland locals for supporting her family and sharing their love for her sister. She wrote on Facebook: "When I last saw her on Friday night I was helping her move her things out of her apartment because she was moving in with my dad to save money. She said to me 'seriously thank you SO much, I literally have no one else'. Little did she know she had hundreds of people."

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office River Patrol is currently investigating Kaileigh's death. It came after a 911 call "reported that they had witnessed a woman getting struck by another boat."