Magdalena Jablonska, Des Plaines, Illinois veteran identified as woman killed by repeat speeding boat operator, Richard Stevenson, VP of Stevenson Crane Service at Fox river, McHenry. Operator was driving at 3 times legal drink driving limit.
Illinois authorities have released the identity of the woman who was killed after a boat being driven by a drunk operator over the weekend crashed into her, leaving her decapitated.
Magdalena Maria Jablonska a 48-year-old veteran from Des Plaines, IL was identified as the victim killed in Sunday’s Fox River boating tragedy according to a coroner’s report.
The woman who was one of three people who was struck when a boat driven by Richard M. Stevenson, the VP of Stevenson Crane Service crashed into a boat she was a passenger at high speeds, McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein revealed.
Speeding in no wake zone
Authorities said the crash happened Saturday afternoon, just on 2.30 p.m, near South Fernwood Lane, south of the McHenry Dam, when two boats collided on the river.
Prosecutors say Stevenson, 45, was heavily intoxicated when he drove his 31-foot pontoon boat into the back of a smaller 20-foot Crownline in a no-wake zone.
The impact was so violent that the woman was decapitated and pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband was also injured in the crash.
Authorities say Stevenson had been drinking throughout the day, and surveillance video allegedly shows him speeding along the Fox River and Chain O’Lakes before the collision. Prosecutors said he was traveling as fast as 80 mph when he slammed into the other boat.
‘Ticking time bomb’
When first responders arrived, Stevenson was found standing near his boat along the shoreline. He was taken to the hospital, where testing reportedly showed his blood alcohol concentration was approximately 0.20—about two and a half times the legal limit.
During Monday’s detention hearing, prosecutors called Stevenson ‘a ticking time bomb.’
‘This man was a ticking time-bomb and that bomb went off this past Saturday on the Fox River,’ Deputy Chief Brian Miller told the court according to Shaw Local.
Prosecutors alleged Stevenson was drinking Fireball whiskey before the crash and, after it, refused breath, blood or urine tests. Leading up to the tragedy, Stevenson is alleged to have disregarded a person on his boat who said he was driving too fast.
Repeat DUI speeding boat operator
Prosecutors also revealed Stevenson having a lengthy history of dangerous driving, including three prior DUI arrests, three reckless driving charges, and four misdemeanor speeding convictions.
A judge ordered Stevenson to remain in custody as the case moves forward. He is scheduled for a hearing on August 5.
In the wake of Magdalena Jablonska’s death, her brother launched a GoFundMe.
Stated the fundraiser, ‘Magdalena was the sunshine in every place she went, and one of her favorite things to do was help dogs in need. I am starting a GoFundMe in her honor to donate to a dog shelter.’
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