A bystander nearly drowned trying to save a woman who fell off a pontoon boat on a lake in Illinois on Father’s Day.
The woman fell into Lake Marie, near Antioch, Illinois, after a wave hit the boat, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported. A man jumped in after her, but he began experiencing muscle cramps and suffered a head injury, according to Antioch Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe DuShane.
Authorities responded to the incident on Sunday at 3:30 p.m, and by that time, both victims were out of the water and lying on a dock.
Bystanders performed CPR on the female victim. She was breathing and had a pulse by the time paramedics transported her to the hospital.
“The male victim was transported to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin,” the site reported.
Both victims are in stable condition.
Lake Marie is about 55 miles north of Chicago. It is one of three natural lakes, a part of Chain O’Lakes State Park, which attracts thousands of visitors every week.
Every year, 4,000 people will drown in the United States, according to the CDC.
In 2021, there were 658 boating fatalities. According to United States Coast Guard statistics on recreational boating accidents for that year, “Where cause of death was known, 81% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 83% were not wearing a life jacket,” the National Safe Boating Council notes.
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