A man suffered a severe injury after two personal watercrafts crashed into each other on Pistakee Lake just outside of the Village of Fox Lake Saturday afternoon, the sheriff said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Fox Lake Fire Protection District responded around 1:25 p.m. Saturday to the 400 block of Castle Road in Fox Lake for a report of a boat crash involving injuries.
A preliminary investigation showed two personal watercraft (PWCs) were operating together south of Cedar Island on Pistakee Lake, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli.
The operator of the at-fault PWC, a 23-year-old man, was operating near the second PWC, which was being operated by a 17-year-old boy.
The two PWCs crossed paths and failed to yield to one another as they traveled together, Covelli said.
The operator of the first PWC steered to the right in an apparent attempt to avoid a collision.
The first PWC rode up onto the left side of the second one, striking a 26-year-old man who was a rear passenger on the second PWC.
Covelli said the 26-year-old man suffered a severe laceration to his left leg.
No occupants were ejected from either vessel and both watercrafts safely returned to a residence in Fox Lake prior to rescue personnel being contacted.
The injured passenger was transferred to an ambulance stretcher with assistance and transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital where he remains in stable condition.
“A follow-up with hospital staff indicated there has been no change in his condition, and he is awaiting X-rays to determine whether any fractures are present. Additional follow-up will be conducted,” Covelli said.
The operator of the at-fault watercraft is not believed to have possessed a valid boater safety education certificate as required by law.
The incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.