Boating Accident Kills 1, Injures 6 in Lake Michigan

Craft hit breakwall in high waves and capsized, officials say
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 28, 2023 4:30 PM CDT
Boating Accident Kills 1, Injures 6 in Lake Michigan
Marine units officers from the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department investigate the scene where a boat capsized overnight Friday, July 28, 2023 in Chicago. A woman died and six other people were hospitalized after a boat struck a Chicago breakwall early Friday and capsized in Lake Michigan...   (Ashlee Rezin /Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

A woman was killed and six other people were hospitalized after a boat struck a Chicago breakwall early Friday and capsized in Lake Michigan amid strong winds and high waves, authorities said. Chicago Deputy District Fire Chief Jason Lach said there was "a huge increase in wind and wave activity" with winds up to 30mph around the time the boat struck the wall and capsized, the AP reports. The seven boaters were returning to shore about 4am when their boat hit the breakwall, police and Chicago Fire Department Chief Juan Hernandez told the Chicago Sun-Times.

A woman who was about 20 years old did not survive after she became trapped under the boat, which capsized near Chicago's "Playpen" area, where boaters frequently gather near the shoreline, officials said. Her body was recovered after a search was briefly suspended because of the weather, Chicago police said. The six other boaters, four women and two men between the ages of 20 and 30, were rescued from the lake, including one person who swam to shore. They were hospitalized and reported to be in fair to serious condition.

(More Lake Michigan stories.)

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