A 26-year-old woman from New York was killed and four other individuals sustained serious injuries in a multi-boat collision on Lake Michigan late Thursday night. The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. near Chicago's Monroe Harbor when one vessel allegedly overtook another, leading to a collision.
Johanna Gregory, identified as a pediatric occupational therapist originally from Rochester, New York, was pronounced dead Friday morning after being transported to a hospital in grave condition. Officials stated that the two boats involved were a 38-foot vessel and a 42-foot vessel. The collision happened approximately 1.5 miles from Monroe Harbor. Jason Lach, Deputy District Chief of the Chicago Fire Department’s Marine Dive Operations, described the collision as "definite hard." Three of the injured passengers were on the struck boat and were reported to be in critical condition.
Two individuals were thrown overboard due to the impact but were rescued by other passengers on board before first responders arrived. Investigators are examining factors such as alcohol or drug involvement and whether the struck boat had its navigation lights on at the time of the crash. Weather and water conditions are not believed to have contributed to the incident.
Gregory, a graduate of Gannon University where she was a Division II volleyball player, had recently moved to Chicago and started a new job in February, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her father, Douglas Gregory, described her as having a "heart of gold."