A 53-year-old man was seriously injured after he was ejected from his WaveRunner when he crashed into a boat on Petite Lake near Antioch Saturday afternoon.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit and Antioch Fire District responded around 3:10 p.m. Saturday to the area of the 39300 block of North Lake Court in unincorporated Antioch for a report of a boat crash with injuries.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a damaged Yamaha WaveRunner, which had struck a Hurricane Deck boat on Petite Lake.
The operator of the Yamaha, a 53-year-old Crystal Lake, had already been transported to shore by a good Samaritan, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
A preliminary investigation shows the boat was being operated by a 53-year-old Volo man.
The boat was traveling southbound out of the Long Channel entering Petite Lake, Covelli said.
The Yamaha was traveling westbound across Petite Lake and struck the front of the deck boat.
The operator of the Yamaha was thrown facedown into the water from the watercraft. He was wearing a life jacket.
Covelli said the 53-year-old man was initially unconscious in the water but was quickly removed by the good Samaritan.
The operator of the Yamaha was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries.
The operator of the deck boat was uninjured.
It appears alcohol was a factor for the operator of the Yamaha, Covelli said. Criminal charges are possible.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.