The victims said they were boating and had been on the river "at least once before".  They stated that they were cruising and went under a bridge and then "at the last minute" saw the dam.  The operator attempted to turn to the left at the last minute, but the vessel was swept over the dam and caught horizontally in the boil.  Both subjects were wearing life jackets and holding onto the console and steering wheel area until the boat began breaking apart.  The boat eventually brok into pieces and both victims wre caugh in the boil.  Both subjects surfaced and were able to go to a rock island and await rescue.  The passenger sustained a two inch contusion to the right side of his forehead and was treated for hypothermia.  The operator suffered from hypothermia as well.  It was determined that although neither the operator nor the passenger of the vessel saw the warning signs for the dam, all signs and markings were clearly visible at the time of the accident.  The operator was cited for operating in a restricted area.
Kankakee                      