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Three Chicago Teens Drown in Illinois Boating Accident on the Fox River

The paddleboat that two of the three Chicago teens who drowned were riding in on the Fox River early this morning was missing its bottom plug. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the plugs on all of the paddleboats used by students who were attempting to get on the river last night were removed because the vessels were taken out of service for the winter. However, no one stored away the boats, which remained on the ground.

The victims, 18-year-old Jimmie Avant, 16-year-old Adrian Jones, and 17-year-old Melvin Choice III, were students at North Lawndale College Prep. They were attending an eight-day leadership retreat at Camp Algonquin.

Some 31 students participated in the retreat at the YMCA camp, along with four adult supervisors from the charter high school. The camp participants were all reportedly told to stay away from the water.

According to police, a number of teenagers took six paddleboats onto the river. One boat sank immediately, taking Jones and Avant down with it. Choice, who was on the shore and ran into the water to save the two boys, also drowned.

The drowning accident occurred at around 1:30am while the chaperones were likely sleeping. It took recovery workers a number of hours to retrieve the three bodies, because water conditions were unsafe. The bodies were recovered by 11am.

Premises Liability
Premise owners are supposed to ensure that there are no unsafe conditions on a premise that can cause serious injuries or death. Failure to exercise this duty of care may be grounds for an Illinois personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the property owner and/or the supervisor on the premise.

2007 Boating Accident Statistics

? According to the US Coast Guard, there were 685 boating fatalities last year.
? Over 2/3rds of these victims died in drowning accidents.
? 90% of these drowning accident victims were not wearing life jackets.
? Out of every 4 boaters that drowned, 3 of them were riding in boats that were less than 21 feet long.

3 Chicago teens drown in Fox River, Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2008

Bodies pulled from Fox, teen victims identified, The Geneva Sun, November 14, 2008

Recreational Boating Statistics, US Coast Guard

Related Web Resources:

YMCA Camp Algonquin

North Lawndale College Prep

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on November 14, 2008 (boomark / email).