2 dead, 1 injured in Lake Michigan boat crash

Evelyn Holmes Image
Sunday, July 24, 2016
2 men killed in boat crash in Lake Michigan
Two people were killed on July 23, 2015 in a boat crash near Arcelor Mittal Steel and the East Chicago Marina in Lake Michigan.

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (WLS) -- Two men were killed Saturday morning in boat crash on Lake Michigan, near East Chicago, Ind., according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. A third person was hospitalized.

The victims were identified as Timothy Dunlap, 62, of Lynwood, Ill., and Richard Wade, 68, of Hammond, Ind., according to the Indiana DNR Law Enforcement District 10.

Dunlap served as a trustee for the village of Lynwood in the south suburbs. He was also vice president of Teamsters Local 731.

Timothy Dunlap, 62, served as village trustee in Lynwood
Village of Lynwood

At about 3 a.m., the boat struck a break wall near Arcelor Mittal Steel and the East Chicago Marina, investigators said. The boat was about a mile-and-a-half north of the marina.

One person in the boat woke up in the water and swam for nearly two hours without a life jacket to get to shore, said Chris Roggy, an officer with the U.S. Coast Guard in Chicago. Once at shore, the person contacted authorities was taken to St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago. Their condition is unknown.

The coast guard recovered a second person from the water and the Lake County sheriff's office recovered a third, Roggy said.

Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Indiana DNR.

Reduced visibility, speed and alcohol were contributing factors.

Both men suffered blunt force trauma, according to the coroner's office. A manner of death was pending Saturday morning.

Sun-Time Media Wire contributed to this report.

One of the boats involved in a crash on Lake Michigan near Arcelor Mittal Steel and the East Chicago Marina on July 23, 2016.