At 8:53pm on 8/15/10, I contacted operator1 by phone and he stated he had been hit by a barge while fishing.  Sgt.  and I met him at the Creve Coeur Boat Ramp and he described what had happened. He stated he and his father were anchored outside the channel at Keystone Ditch fishing as a barge approached. He saw that they were going to collide with the barge, so he cut his anchor rope, and drug the other anchor backwards to avoid the barge. They hit the second barge from the front, and scraped along side until he backed away. operator1 stated he had his lights on just as they were as it was sitting at the ramp.  He was displaying "running lights" while at anchor. 

On 8/23/10, I spoke with the barge pilot by phone. He stated that he had seen the boat fising, and he was crossing the wickets and attempting to get lined up to pass under the I474 bridge.  He stated that he sounded his horn 5 times to warn the boat that they were in danger, and in his way.  He further stated that he yelled at the boat to move with his PA system.  He sent his first mate to the front of the barge to verfiy that they were going to clear the boat.  The first mate never saw the boat contact the barge.  operator1 told me the first mate yelled at the boat, but the occupants never responded to him either.  The tug, the Cody Boyd, was pushing 15 barges.  5 Long, by 3 wide, and in a constricted area of the Illinois River.

The only damage to operator1's boat that Sgt.  and I saw was a black mark down the starboard side rail. It appeared that it could be buffed out rather easily.
Creve Coeur                   