RedactedNarrative: I was contacted by Illinois state Police dispatch on 09/06/2021 at approximately 1700 in reference to a boat accident on the Kaskaskia River. 
  
  On 09/06/2021 at approximately 1900 I spoke with the boat owner/operator by phone.  He stated he and his brother were traveling south on the Kaskaskia River past route 177 on 09/05/2021 around 12:30pm.  They noticed the bilge pump was not working and pulled the 1976 16''  fiberglass Manarch Bass boat up on the bank.  He pulled the boat too far up the steep bank and water entered the livewells.  They pushed the boat back into the river and noticed they only had a few inches of free board.  The motor would not stay running, so they paddled down river.  
  The lower unit caught on some tree limbs under the water approximately 6 miles south of the route 177 bridge.  Operator attempted to raise the lower unit.  The lower unit remained stuck under the water and it slowly pulled the stern of the boat under water.  The bow went up and the watercraft rolled to the starboard side and capsized.  They were not injured and floated down river with their watercraft.  They both put lifejackets on after the watercraft capsized.   A boater stopped and assisted succuring  their watercraft to the bank.  They were transported back to the Fayetteville boat ramp where his truck and trailer was parked.  
  Operator never attended a boat operators course, but has operated watercrafts his entire life with over 100hr. expirence.  Operator admitted that the livewells had cracks in them and suspected the hull of his watercraft filled up with water.  
  I e-mailed him the web site to obtain the watercraft accident report (https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/boating/Pages/BoatingAccidentReport.aspx.) and notified him of the 10 day completion time.