Illinois state trooper killed in Lake Como boating accident
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GENEVA TOWNSHIP — An Illinois State Police trooper was killed Labor Day in what authorities are describing as a freak boating accident on Lake Como in the town of Geneva.
Illinois State Master Sergeant Patrick O'Driscoll, 48, an Illinois state trooper for 26 years, died Sept. 3 when the jet ski he was riding with his 9-year-old daughter was hit by a power boat, according to a news story from WLS-TV in Chicago.
Wisconsin investigators are calling it a freak accident.
O'Driscoll was about 200 feet off shore, heading for shore on the jet ski, when an 18-foot power boat collided with it. The accident happened shortly before 11 a.m.
O'Driscoll's daughter, Maura, was hospitalized, but not seriously injured.
The O'Driscoll family was spending the day at their vacation home on Lake Como.
Alcohol is not suspected to have played a role in the accident, and no tickets were issued. Investigators said no charges have been lodged, but authorities have 15 days to make their reports to the district attorney, who makes a final decision about citations.
"Fatalities with a collision in boating accidents are not all that common. This is highly unusual in Wisconsin," said Kyle Drake, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recreational safety warden. Drake said the DNR is mandated to investigate any fatal accident involving a recreational vehicle. The Town of Geneva Police Department and the Walworth County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.
For the complete story, see HERE.
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