On 08/23/13 at approximately 6:00 PM, I, CPO received a call of a wakeboarding accident that occurred on Lincoln Lake in Morris, IL.  The nature of the accident was subject was attempting a 360 degree spin while being towed behind a 19'' Malibu Euro F3 ski boat ( IL reg # IL4932JS HIN# MB2TA027H092). The boat was traveling approximately 24 MPH in a westbound direction.  Victim was positioned outside the wake on the left side of the watercraft.  Victim ramped the wake created by the boat and began to spin.  Onboard the watercraft watching Victim were three people.  Occupant1 was seated next to driver in the co-pilot seat.  Occupant2 was in the rear facing seat directly behind the driver and Occupant3 was seated next to Occupant2.   Occupant2 said as Victim spun he over-rotated and caught the hard edge of the wakeboard with the water.  This resulted in Victim''s head being driven violently forward and impacting the water face first.  Occupant3 and Occupant2 noticed Victim was not moving and his head was face down in the water.  Operator turned the boat around quickly and positioned the boat next to Victim.  Occupant1 and Occupant2 dove out of the boat into the water and swam to Victim.  Occupant1 grabbed onto Victim''s body as Occupant2 secured Victim''s head from movement fearing a spine or neck injury.  Occupant2 stated he could hear Victim breathing, but he was unresponsive.  It took nearly a minute to get Victim in a position to get him on the boat. Once near the boat Victim began going in and out of consciousness.  It took nearly two minutes for Victim to become coherent and understand what had happened. 

The group took Victim to the nearest dock and called 911.  An off-duty nurse (Name unknown) came over and provided first aid until EMS and the Grundy County Sheriff''s Department arrived on scene.  Victim was then taken to Morris Hospital.  Victim was released later that night with a mild concussion, but did not suffer any neck or spinal injuries.

Victim admitted to consuming 3-4 beers approximately 1 hour and 45 minuted before going out.  Victim stated he had been wakeboarding for nearly 20-25 minutes and was getting tired after performing several flips and spins.  Victim could not remember any of the accident after he started spinning.  Operator, the boat operator, had not consumed alcohol during the day.  This was verified through witness statements and officer appraisal.
Morris, IL