On Friday night, a boat near Lake Michigan’s 31st Street Beach overturned, leaving one guy missing. According to authorities, the boat capsized about 7:33 p.m., just south of 31st Street Harbor.
The Coast Guard was searching for anyone who might have been left in the water from the air in a helicopter, and there was a large response from the Chicago Police and Fire Department.
The boat was shown on its side in the water on camera at the site, and there was a cry announcing the arrival of the Coast Guard. Boaters in life jackets were observed aboard smaller boats after being rescued, and people on the rocks near the shore were also observed directing boaters to safety as they swam to land.
Two women and one guy, who made up the minimum number of those on the boat, were transferred to Insight Hospital & Medical Center. Although the nature of their injuries remained unclear, the dispatch reports said they were in good health.
As of late Friday night, one male, whose age was unknown, was still missing. On the boat was Wynter Barginear. She described what had transpired with emotion and tears in her eyes.
“I’m traumatized. I’ll probably never get on a boat again. I had a bad feeling when we got on the boat. It’s just very traumatic. I, you know, fell in the water, head went under, popped up, grabbed the boat to save my life,” she stated, “and if it wasn’t for these two wonderful people that came over to help save me, I could have lost my life tonight on just a recreational thing.”
According to Barginear, the boat was a rented charter, and while they were returning to the harbor, problems arose.
“We came around the corner, I told the captain that he boat was rocking really hard on the right. I told the captain, ‘Do we need to distribute weight, because this is rocking pretty good?'” Barginear stated. “He says, ‘Oh no, it’ll be OK. It’ll be OK. As soon as he says that, the boat turns and flips over.”
According to Barginear, her best friend got into the water, and both she and her companion were unable to swim. Her spouse and four other individuals, she claimed, were stranded beneath the boat and needed to shatter the glass in order to escape as the water flooded in.
Barginear added that the group on the boat was celebrating a cousin’s birthday.
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“And I mean, it’s screaming—one person was, you know, my cousin whose birthday were celebrating, she was in the water, and they were screaming to get her,” she stated. “My other friend’s boyfriend helped throw life vests and jackets to people to hold on.”
In several cases, even the uninjured individuals had to go back to their cars without any shoes or possessions; some of them did not even have car keys. When the boat capsized, they lost all they owned.
According to survivors, the man helping the boat’s skipper was the one who vanished late on Friday. Who the man worked for was unclear. By 10 p.m., it appeared that the search was over for the evening because the Coast Guard, the police Marine Unit, and the fire department’s dive teams had all left the area.
