Woman dead, 6 people rescued after boat capsizes near Navy Pier
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 20-year-old woman has died, and six others were injured after a boat capsized near Navy Pier overnight.
The Chicago Fire Department said rescue teams responded to a boat in distress around 3:30 a.m. on Friday on the lakefront just outside the playpen area.
According to police, the seven people were returning to shore when the boat possibly struck a break wall.
Four women and two men were rescued from the water. Police said the six people, four women and two men between 20 to 40 years of age were taken to Northwestern and Stroger Hospital in good condition, according to Chicago police.
Fire officials said the combination of darkness and bad weather made the recovery effort much more challenging.
CFD said the seventh person was found dead, pinned under the boat. She was identified as Briana Joy Burden, of Chicago, by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
"Even at night, I don't know exactly where the break wall starts and in the middle of it, there's only lights at the entranceways, and it's two miles long," said Ted Widen, a longtime boat owner who runs a website filled with boating tips.
Widen said he tells boaters that the area at night is "not the place to go boating," especially if they are not experienced.
"Chicago has crazy weather, crazy winds and at night, you can't see the break walls," he said.
During the recovery effort, a second body was found that has been determined to be unrelated to the boating incident. Police confirmed it is a man's body, but did not provide further details in a media conference on Friday.
The circumstances of what led to the accident are under investigation.