On April 13th, 2013 owner/operator, lost control of his 17ft Bayliner 1700 Capri motorboat (V1 as depicted above) due to loss of shifting/throttle control on Lasalle Lake in Lasalle County Illinois. With passenger onboard, the two men drifted east from open water (winds blowing at approximately 18mph out of the west) towards rocky east bank, with no way to control the vessel. V1 struck the east bank at approximately 9:14 AM. 

After striking the shore, the two occupants departed the vessel and began trying to contact emergency personnel for assistance. The boat immediately began taking on water, as it slammed against the bank of rocks, puncturing holes in the starboard side hull (refer to pictures attached).

At approximately 9:34 AM I, CPOT, was dispatched by Illinois State Police District 17 to respond to the accident from Putnam, Illinois. At approximately 10:40 AM I arrived at Lasalle Lake meeting with Site Technician, who directed me to the scene.

I arrived on scene (Lasalle Lake Marker 136 as listed above) at approximately 10:55 AM to find the boat halfway submerged, slamming up against the bank. I met the owner/operator of the vessel, who expressed he wanted to first attempt to use his truck to remove the boat from the water. I advised Operator it was unsafe to attempt to do so and further explained I had been directed by my supervisor to remove the boat from the water via tow truck service. Operator accepted my decision and I contacted ISP District 17 to call for a rotational tow. 

Snowdance Towing, out of Marseilles, arrived with a flatbed and a wrecker with a crane on it. They removed the boat from the water and placed it on the flatbed trailer without further incident. Snowdance then transported the boat to the ramp where Operator''s vehicle and boat trailer were located. The vessel was then transferred to Operator''s trailer and released to Operator per his request.

The boat sustained severe damage to the starboard side hull, puncturing holes in the hull from slamming against the rocks, causing the boat to swamp and partially submerge.

The wind was blowing out of the west with gusts estimated over 18 mph on the east side of the lake. Both individuals escaped the vessel unharmed and took the boat home on the Operator''s trailer. 

Written warnings were issued to Operator for two unsecured batteries and a missing capacity plate.
Seneca