Snowmobile accidents on Chain O'Lakes lead to warning
After responding to three snowmobile accidents in two-and-a-half hours Sunday night, Antioch rescue officials are warning people to use caution when riding on the Chain O' Lakes.
Antioch Fire Department Deputy Chief Chris Lienhardt said a lack of snow and high winds have created less than optimal snowmobiling conditions on the Chain.
"The ice conditions are constantly changing. You can go from snow to a sheet of ice," Lienhardt said.
A 14-year-old boy was injured at 7:03 p.m. while riding near the northwest corner of Blarney's Island on Grass Lake, Lienhardt said.
The teen was approaching from Chain O' Lakes State Park when he lost of control on a patch of ice. He jumped off the sled seconds before it slammed into a Blarney's Island pier, sheering off the snowmobile windshield. The boy's father was driving on a second snowmobile nearby and phoned for help.
"It's a good thing he jumped off because it could have been much worse," Lienhardt said.
While rescuers were tending to the teen, a second crash was reported at 7:25 p.m. on Grass Lake Road and Park Lane. A 34-year-old man was heading north on the Chain, slid on ice, hit exposed ground, and flipped the snowmobile near the Grass Lake Bridge, Lienhardt said. A second snowmobiler phoned rescuers for help.
Lienhardt said the ground was extended shoreline near the bridge that is not noticeable when water or snow levels are higher.
A third call was received about 9:15 p.m. after a 35-year-old man hit a duck blind on Grass Lake, Leinhardt said. The snowmobile driver phoned a friend for help immediately after the crash, and the friend helped bring victim to a garage on Forest Avenue, Lienhardt said.
All three victims were taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with nonlife threatening injuries, Lienhardt said.
"The Antioch Fire Department wants all residents to enjoy the winter activities we have available here," he said. "However, we are urging people to maintain situational awareness to their surroundings when snowmobiling."
Lienhardt said people should always bring a cellphone with them while snowmobiling, wear a helmet, and be aware of the changing ice patterns on the Chain.