1 critical after 2 boats collide near Hammond Marina

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Indiana conservation officers say one person is hospitalized in critical condition after two boats collided on Lake Michigan near the Hammond Marina.

The law enforcement division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the boats collided Friday evening just northwest of the marina in the northwestern Indiana city.

The impact threw the operator of one of the boats into the water. That person was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

The names of the boats' operators and information about the two vessels were not immediately released.

The U.S. Coast Guard is helping Hammond and Lake County authorities in their investigation of the collision along the lake about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Chicago.