1 critical, 1 missing after falling from boat in second accident in less than week in Lake Michigan’s ‘Playpen,’ officials say
In the second serious boating accident in Lake Michigan’s “Playpen” in less than a week, one person was left in critical condition after falling off a boat and search units are still looking for a second person late Wednesday near the Jardine Water filtration plant.
The body of a 38-year-old Chicago man was pulled from the water near Montrose Harbor early Thursday, hours after the accident. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the body of a man pulled from the water near the harbor at 12:22 a.m. was the same person who had been missing after two people fell from a boat in the Playpen around 7 p.m. Wednesday night; Chicago police said the agency was not able to confirm any connection between the two cases.
Just before 7 p.m., the Chicago Police Marine Unit responded to reports of a person who fell off a boat in what’s known as Chicago’s “Playpen,” a party-friendly area north of Navy Pier where boats are often anchored and people swim in the lake.
One person was unresponsive as they were taken to shore and then to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, according to a Chicago Police media notification.
As of 8:40 p.m., the Marine Unit continued its search for a second person who fell into the water, police said.
It’s the second time in less than a week that people were badly hurt in the “Playpen.” On Saturday evening, two women were severely injured in a boating accident.
Lana Batochir, one of the women, was floating on an inflatable raft, when a 37-foot yacht suddenly reversed, sucking her under. Batochir underwent a double leg amputation after her feet were severed by the boat’s propeller.
