Lake Villa man critical after falling from boat in Chain O' Lakes

A 70-year-old Lake Villa man was listed in critical condition at St. Catherine's Medical Center in Kenosha after falling off a boat Friday evening on the Chain O' Lakes, the Lake County sheriff's office said in a news release Saturday.

The sheriff's marine unit was dispatched about 5:40 p.m. to Barnacle Bob's Boat Rentals in Petite Lake for a report of an unresponsive male. When deputies arrived, the Lake Villa man had already been pulled from the water and transported to St. Catherine's.

The preliminary investigation indicates the man was on the front of his Crestliner Fishing boat with two adult male friends when a wave or wake hit the boat, causing it to sway and knocking the man off the boat, according to the news release.

A witness on a different boat observed the man struggling in the water, pulled the man from the water and began CPR, the report said. Antioch Rescue arrived and continued lifesaving efforts.

The incident remains under investigation.