Crystal Lake man seriously injured after wave runner crash on Petite Lake

A Crystal Lake man was hospitalized with serious injuries after a boat crash Saturday at Petite Lake in Antioch Saturday, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit responded to a call about 3:10 p.m. Saturday after a Yamaha Wave Runner crashed into a Hurricane Deck Boat. The driver of the wave runner was a 53-year-old man from Crystal Lake and had been brought to shore by good Samaritan.

Alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash for the wave runner driver, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the wave runner driver was going west across Petite Lake when it struck the front of the deck boat, which was headed south out of the Long Channel into the lake.

The wave runner driver was thrown from the watercraft and landed facedown in the water, and was wearing a lifejacket. He was “initially unconscious” and was removed from the water by the good samaritan, according to the release.

The driver of the wave runner was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries. The driver of the deck boat is a 53-year-old man from Volo and was uninjured.

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office marine unit and criminal charges are possible, according to the release.