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Late-night crash on Fox River leaves boat atop docked pontoon

No one was injured when a boat crashed through a dock and onto a docked pontoon boat about midnight Friday along the Fox River near McHenry, McHenry County sheriff's police said.

The owners of the pontoon and the dock, Phil and Pam Petrucci, were "amazingly" not awoken by the crash, but a neighbor alerted them, Pam Petrucci said.

"It's definitely a unique situation," she said. "We've definitely got a lot of gapers. If I could charge them each for the photos, I'd be able to afford a new boat."

The boat that crashed into theirs ended up with its bow in the air. One side of the pontoon was smashed between the poles of the dock and the other boat, which makes Petrucci think it's probably not salvageable, especially in light of the pontoon boat's age.

She hoped the other boat could be removed from the pontoon and dock before river traffic picked up over the weekend. Waves can get bad with boats flying by, and with gawkers wheeling around for another look, she's concerned it could be another accident waiting to happen.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division responded to the crash about 12:04 a.m. Friday in the 300 block of north Mineral Springs Road in McHenry, McHenry County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Emily Matusek said in an email.

Nighttime conditions are thought to have played a role in the crash, Matusek said, and it is not currently known if alcohol was an additional factor.

The damage extended to a lift canopy in addition to the boat and dock, Matusek said.

Pam Petrucci said she's just grateful no one was injured.

McHenry County authorities say a boat slammed into a dock along the Fox River near McHenry early Friday, sending it on top of a docked pontoon. Provided Photo
A boat is seen angled skyward as it rests atop a pontoon in the backyard of homeowners Phil and Pam Petrucci of McHenry. The boat crashed into the Petrucci's dock along the Fox River early Friday morning. The crash remains under investigation. Matthew Apgar/Shaw Media
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