Crime & Safety
Judge Allows Lawsuit To Move Forward In Deadly Fox River Boat Crash
Plaintiffs are seeking more than $50,000 on each of three claims as they investigate whether others should be named as defendants.
McHENRY COUNTY, IL — Attorneys representing the estate of a woman killed in a July boat crash on the Fox River and her fiancé are seeking information from 16 people and businesses as part of a wrongful death lawsuit, court records show.
Michelle Macias, special administrator of the estate of Magdalena Jablonska, and Alan Telmini are suing Richard M. Stevenson over the July 25 crash that killed Jablonska and injured Telmini along the Fox River.
During a hearing Monday, a judge denied a motion to stay the civil case, according to the court proceedings.
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The judge also allowed the plaintiffs to move forward with their request to amend the complaint and add the 16 people and entities as “respondents in discovery.” The designation allows plaintiffs to seek information from people or entities they believe may have information about potential additional defendants, according to court documents filed in McHenry County Circuit Court.
The respondents include several businesses associated with Stevenson, including a woman believed to be on board the boat at the time of the crash, the Fox Waterway Agency, restaurants where Stevenson allegedly consumed alcohol and businesses connected to the boat, according to the motion.
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According to the amended complaint, Telmini was operating a Crownline motorboat with Jablonska aboard in a no-wake zone on the Fox River when Stevenson approached in a South Bay tri-toon pontoon boat equipped with three 500-horsepower outboard motors.
The lawsuit alleges Stevenson was traveling at more than 75 mph as he approached the no-wake area and had consumed alcoholic beverages before the crash. It further alleges Stevenson’s boat struck the plaintiffs’ boat with enough force to travel over the top of it, leading to Jablonska's decapitation and death and physical injuries to Telmini, according to court documents.
Stevenson also faces charges in a separate criminal case stemming from the crash. A McHenry County grand jury indicted him on charges including first-degree murder, reckless homicide, aggravated DUI and operating a watercraft under the influence; he pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The plaintiffs in the civil case, who include family members of Jablonska, are seeking information from the respondents about a range of issues, including the alleged service and consumption of alcohol, the purchase and maintenance of the boat, its storage and use and surveillance video and photographs from the day of the crash.
The complaint is seeking more than $50,000 on each of the three counts: wrongful death, physical injuries and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
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