Updated

Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 26

Monroe Harbor Boat Collision Kills 26-Year-Old Johanna Gregory, Leaving 3 in Critical Condition

Updated

Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 26

Monroe Harbor Boat Collision Kills 26-Year-Old Johanna Gregory, Leaving 3 in Critical Condition

Q: A fatal crash and a required license: Was the operator legally certified to be on the water that night?

It is not publicly known whether the operator was legally certified to be on the water that night. What is clear is that Illinois requires anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, to have a state Boating Safety Certificate to operate a motorized vessel over 10 horsepower on state waters. Lake Michigan boating is also subject to federal safety rules enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard, but the state certificate requirement still applies to qualifying operators in Illinois waters. In this case, authorities have not identified the operators of either boat, their ages, or whether either held the required certification. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is investigating, and officials have said they are examining alcohol or drug involvement, navigation lights, and other operating conditions. No public statement in the reporting says a certification violation occurred. That means the legal-certification question cannot yet be answered from the available facts. If the person operating either vessel was born in 1998 or later and was running a qualifying motorboat without an Illinois Boating Safety Certificate, that would likely be a violation. If the operator was older, or had the certificate, they could have been legally authorized to operate the boat. For now, certification status remains an open investigative question, not an established fact.

3 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 26

Three people remained in serious-to-critical condition Friday after the overnight crash that killed Johanna H. Gregory, 26, among 14 people aboard two boats near Monroe Harbor.
Chicago fire officials said one vessel overtook the other shortly before midnight about 1.5 miles offshore, causing a hard collision just outside the harbor break wall.
Seven-minute rescue crews found both boats lit in dark, choppy conditions; two people had fallen into 65-degree water but were back aboard before responders arrived, and victims reached shore within 45 minutes.
Investigators have not determined whether alcohol played a role. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is leading the probe with Coast Guard and Chicago police assistance.
Gregory's father and a former co-worker described her as a beloved pediatric occupational therapist whose work with young children in Chicago's early-intervention program had a significant impact on families.