Personal watercraft crash on Fox River near Cary causes serious injuries

Crash happened minutes after a house fire in Cary

A man was airlifted following a Fox River waverunner crash in Cary Sept. 20, 2024.

A person who crashed his personal watercraft on the Fox River near Cary Friday afternoon was flown with serious injuries.

The Cary Fire Protection District responded to the water rescue near the 2500 block of Grove Lane about 4:10 p.m. The personal watercraft collided with a residential boat pier and initial reports indicated a male was unconscious in the water, Cary Fire Protection District communication specialist Alex Vucha said in a news release.

Paramedics found the male near the shore when they arrived and he had regained consciousness, Vucha said; the injured person was taken to the helipad at Mercyhealth Crystal Lake Hospital and then flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

A man was airlifted following a Fox River waverunner crash in Cary Sept. 20, 2024.

Just minutes before, at 4 p.m. the fire department responded to a house fire in the 6000 block of Lakeview Lane. The fire was contained to the home’s rear deck and quickly put out. Nobody was injured in the fire and the home remains habitable, Vucha said.

“We are proud of the professionalism and capability of our members to respond quickly to multiple simultaneous incidents,” Vucha said.

The fire remains under investigation by the Cary Fire Protection District. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit is investigating the personal watercraft crash, Vucha said.

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