Red Rock President Richard J. Haskins dies in watercraft accident

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Red Rock Resorts and Station Casinos announced Saturday afternoon that its president died earlier in the day in a watercraft incident in Michigan.

According to a press release, the company plans to make announcements about its plan of succession in the coming days.

"The entire Station Casinos family mourns this loss. On behalf of our Board of Directors, management team and employees, we extend our deepest sympathies to the Haskins family," the company said in a statement.

CEO and Chairman of Red Rock Resorts Frank Fertitta, III said:

"Words cannot express what Rich has meant to the Company and to me in the 25 years he has been with Station Casinos. He was a trusted advisor, a brilliant strategist, a steady hand in good times and in bad and most important – a friend to all. It is very hard to imagine Station Casinos being the Company it is today without Rich. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his children, his family and his loved ones," said Fertitta.

The crash took place shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Emmet County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that Haskins was traveling westbound in Little Traverse Bay, in the northeast of Lake Michigan, while a 27-foot powerboat was travelling northbound. Both craft collided.

Haskins was transported to the nearby Harbor Springs launch area, where he was pronounced dead by medical crews.

The man driving the powerboat has been identified as 77-year-old James Moffat of Vero Beach, Florida.

The accident remains under investigation.