Company executive charged with reckless homicide after boat crash on Fox River
A 45-year-old executive was arrested on felony charges after his boat collided with another vessel in a no-wake zone on the Fox River near McHenry, killing a woman and leaving another passenger injured.
A Lisle resident and vice president of a crane-service company was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence after his boat struck another vessel on the Fox River near McHenry on Saturday afternoon. Police reports say the 31-foot boat entered a no-wake zone at high speed and collided with a smaller 1997 Crowline boat, resulting in the death of a female passenger who was pronounced dead at the scene. The impact also caused severe injuries to the second occupant of the smaller boat, who was taken to a local hospital.
Fire crews, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police and other agencies responded to the 1800 block of South Fernwood Lane around 2:30 p.m. The victim’s identity has not been released. A toxicology report indicated the driver’s blood-alcohol content was 0.236, nearly three times the legal limit.
The driver was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital, later arrested, and remains in custody pending an initial court appearance on Monday. The river was temporarily closed for recovery operations and reopened later that evening. The fire chief praised the coordinated response of multiple agencies and expressed condolences to the victim’s family.