OTTAWA, Canada - The wife of reality television star Kevin O'Leary was charged on Tuesday with the careless operation of a boat in a fatal crash this summer in Canada's backwoods.

Ontario Provincial Police laid the charges against Linda O'Leary, 56, under Canada's shipping act following a month-long investigation into the late-night collision on Lake Joseph that killed two people and seriously injured three.

A New York man operating the other boat, Richard Ruh, 57, has also been charged with failing to exhibit navigation lights.

Kevin O'Leary is one of five investors who decide how to spend their cash on ABC's Emmy Award-winning "Shark Tank."

He said last month that his wife was at the wheel when they were "in a tragic collision with another watercraft."

Police told AFP a large wakeboarding boat and a smaller ski boat collided on the lake where O'Leary has a cottage, around 220 miles (350 kilometers) north of Toronto.

Both boats quickly left the scene to seek medical attention on shore, said Provincial Police Constable Joe Scali.

According to media reports, several boats had been out on the lake to watch fireworks or stargaze when the crash happened around 11:30 pm.

Police have identified the dead as Gary Poltash, 64, from Florida, and Susanne Brito, 48, from Uxbridge, Ontario. Poltash died in the crash while Brito succumbed to her injuries in hospital days later.

Linda O'Leary is scheduled to make a court appearance in Parry Sound, Ontario on October 29.

amc/jm

© Agence France-Presse