ILLlliOIS DEPARTHEIlT OF cmrsERV ATION

1968 BOld~nfG ACCIDEI-i"TREPORT

Tbe following information is contained in Boating Accident Reports submitted tothis Department on 122 reportable boating accidents during the 1968 boating season,involving 162 boats-.- T'nere were 56 fatalities, 54 resulting from drown.ings

.and g from multiple injuries. 80 boaters wer-e injured in these accidents.Type accident resulting in drormi~$

Falls overboard 9Capsized 23Capsized standing in boat 1Capsized - hip boots on 1Sint~ng 2Flooding 1Forced under moored barges 1Collision with barges 6Collision .•.'lithfixed object 3Swept over dam 1Fishing too close to dam 3Rescuing 8 ";:ti". old son 1Drinking 1Unknown 1

54None of the boating accidents reported involved rented boats; ~~d property d?~ageamounted to $109,942.00.Accidents occurred in the folloi-ringmonths and bodies of vat er lTI the State:

FebruaryMarchAprilMa.yJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovember

224

102338191761

RiversCreeks, pondsLake MichiganInland Lakes

614

1344

122

Age

2.

Counties in •.mich Accidents Occurred

Adams 3Brown l.Calhoun l.Cl.inton l.Cook 2l.Crawford l.Cumber-Land l.DuPage 3Edgar l.Gallatin l.Grundy 7Hancock l.Jersey 3Kane l.Kankakee l.Lake 20LaSalle 4Macon 6Madison l.Mason 2

McHenry 7McLean 2Menard l.Mercer l.Montgomery l.Ogl.e l.Peoria l.Perry 1Pike 1Putnam 3Richland 1Rock Island 4st. Clair l.Stephenson 1Tazel,rell 2Whiteside 3Will 4Willi ams on 3Willi~ebago 3Woodford 1

-1-2"'-2""--

Age and Hours of Experienceof Boat Operators Involved in Accidents

LessThan20

20to100

100to Over

500 5004 2

l.7 149 176 101 81 5

~ 5b

'Teenage20 - 2930 - 3940 - 4950 - 5960 and overUnknmm

8l.22

210

53

Unknown . Total

3 196 486 392 23

92 8

1619 lb2

Weather Conditions

Clear and calm 60Clear and calm (night) 7Cloudy and calm 2Clear, strong '\Irind 10Cloudy, strong wi.nd 6Rain, storm warni.ngs,

rough "Tater 3Rain 4Windstorm 3Fog 4Hazy, choppy water 16UnknOtm 7

322

----------------------~-~------------~--------------------------------------------------~

13 20

3.Type of Boat

Open motorboat 109Cabin motorboat 21Sailboat or a1L~lia-~ 8Houseboat 1Canoe 4

PontoonRowboatHydroplaneRaftUnknown

18127

Horsepower of l·~otor

Under 5 35 - 10 410 - 15 215 - 20 220 - 25 125 - 30 330 - 35 335 40 1140 8..."1dover 98Unknown 35

162Length of Hull

Under 12 ft. 712 14 914 - 16 3516 - 18 4618 20 1420 8..."1dover 28Unknown 23

162Six children under 10years of age were drowned and 4 were injured, as aresult of boating accidents. Conditions surrounding the casualties follo~f:

Capsized: Child age 8 drowned - vrearing no life jacketSin.1dng: Child age 8 dr-owned- vear ing no life jacketCollision w"ith..barges: One child age 2 and one age 3 were dr-owned-

life jackets onCapsized:Capsized:Collision:Explosion:Child age 9

Child ~se 5 drowned - life jacket onChild age 4 drowned - life jacket on bankChild age 3 injured - life jacket worn2 children injured - life jac:~etsworninjured by boat 1.,hile swimmingunder w"ater

· . 4.

Lifesaving Devices

Noneon board 15Onboard not used ormeeded 68Onboard - used 41Unknown 38

2 drowni.ngs, one four-year old - jackets laying on bankFather drownedrescuing 6-year son - life preserver not wornChildren I s jackets wornby adults, inadequate - 1 accident,

3 drow-ningsresulting

SKIllIG ACCIDENTS

There '-Tere19 'Vrater-skiing accidents, resulting in18 injuries and 1 drO'(ming:

Collision vrith tree on ban.1{ 1Skier fell, resulting in injuries 3Skier caught finger in rope 1Skier swerved in front of boat 1Skiing too close to dam, collided 1Boat struck ski rope 1Boat tmvug skier, collision 2Boat ran over ski rope, pulling slder

into propel.Ler 1Operator watchinG skier, hit shore 1Boat tmr.i11gskier; passenger sitting on

gunnel fell overboard, cut by propeller 1Boat tmring ski.er collided w'i. th another

boat wnile ~1{ing turn 1Boat cut into path of boat toving skier s(4 injured) 2Operator looked ba~~ at skier, collision 1Boat tOi-ringskier ran over underwater

~Y.Umner,1 injured 1Skier fell, strong current, forced unde~r

mooredbarges, 1 drmming 1

, .;

Type, Nature or Classification of Accident

Collision with another vesselCapsizingCollision with fixed objectFalls overboardCollision with floating or underwat.er-

object -

4925l3l2

6321119

Father d:rownedrescuing son (no life preserver)Skier forced under moored barges by curr-ent,Boat damage - pushing a loose bargeRan over underwater S"\·rim.:ner(pulling skier)Motor came out of boat and struck swimmer-Skiers injured in falls

Fire or ExplosionGroundingFloodingSi.n..1tingHit by boat or propellerother:

Cause of Accident or DrO\ming

Speed,. inattention, careless arid r-eckl.ess operationRoughwater, st.orm, fog, strong wi-.ndDebris filled wat.ers!.fechani.cal failureSharp turnWakeof large boatFis~~ng or operating too close to darnS1der fell (injuries)OverloadedNo ~~ir~ lights8-wift cur.rerrtsTurbulent wat er near locksSitting on guTillelDriIL~iP..gRunning over ski rope"\