Elkhorn woman killed in boat crash
An Elkhorn woman was killed in a drunken boating crash early Sunday on Wonder Lake in McHenry County, Ill.
Nicole L. Jurgens, 21, had gone out on the lake to fish with a family friend when the boat on which she was a passenger collided about 12:50 a.m. Sunday with a boat driven by Rick L. McGuire, 53, Wonder Lake, Ill.
Jurgens died about an hour after the crash of blunt trauma to the chest, abdomen and pelvis, said McHenry County Deputy Coroner Robert Locke.
McGuire was charged with operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol. Neither he nor his three passengers were injured in the crash.
David Lebrecht, 49, Wonder Lake, Ill., who was driving the boat on which Jurgens was a passenger, was injured. He was treated at Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry and released.
Authorities are investigating the crash and reconstruction the scene to determine “exactly what happened,” said Paris Ervin, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Jurgens was raised in Wonder Lake and had been staying with friends there this summer, said her mother, Suzanne Jurgens of Elkhorn. She just recently had taken up fishing.
Nicole Jurgens was a free spirit and never stayed in one place for too long, her mother said.
“She was loved by a lot of people,” Suzanne Jurgens said.
She said her daughter loved children and was viewed as a second mom to her friends’ children.
Nicole Jurgens is the second member of her family to be killed by a drunken driver within a year. Her uncle, Michael Jurgens, 50, Madison, was riding his motorcycle when he was struck by a car Aug. 11. The driver of the car recently was convicted of fifth-offense drunken driving.
“It’s been really, really hard on this family,” Suzanne Jurgens said. “I know it sounds cliché, but the one thing I keep thinking is friends don’t let friends drink and drive.”
Nicole Jurgens also is survived by her dad, John Jurgens, three younger sisters and two older sisters.
Visitation is planned for Thursday at the Justen Funeral Home in Wonder Lake, and services are planned for Friday at Wonder Lake Bible Church.
Jul 8, 2008 at 8:09 p.m.
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How sad. My condolences and prayers go out to the victim, her fishing partner, and all of her friends and family.
Jul 8, 2008 at 12:51 p.m.
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My deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Nicole, Another case of Alcohol Abuse when will it end.
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