Family mourns woman who died in boat crash on Fox River

The sister of a woman killed in a high-speed boat crash this past weekend on the Fox River said the victim always put others first.

Magdalena Jablonska, 48, of Des Plaines, was killed when a speeding pontoon boat crashed into where she was on board.

Jablonska's sister, Michelle, said Jablonska has always put others before herself. She was a U.S. Marine who often kept to herself.

"She was adventurous, the life of the party. Her sarcasm was on a whole different spectrum in a good way. She was the best aunt to my girls," she said.

Michelle says because of their 14-year age difference, she looked at Magdalena as a second mother.

"She was our backbone, not just a sibling. She was everything. She was the glue of us," she said.

Police said Jablonska was riding in a boat with her fiancé and their dog on Saturday afternoon on the Fox River near Riverside Drive south of the McHenry Dam. Authorities said Richard Stevenson, 45, of Lisle, crashed into them at a high rate of speed with a pontoon boat.

Jablonska was killed. Her fiancé and dog were hurt.

"I have to stay strong and I know if I focus on those things and try to remember, then I can't be the support that my family needs right now," Michelle said.

Prosecutors said Stevenson's blood alcohol level was 0.236, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. He is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI causing death and one count of reckless homicide. Between 1997 and 2005, he was convicted of multiple counts of DUI, speeding, reckless driving and evading police.

Sheila Lockwood knows the pain of losing someone to impaired driving. She lost her son Austin to a drunk driver in 2018, and now lives along the Fox River.

Lockwood talked about how hard it was to learn this happened once again in her backyard. She now works as a national ambassador for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, reminding people that impaired driving can be just as deadly on the water.

"I live on the water. It's been very difficult," Lockwood said. "I think a lot of it, I moved to the water because Austin had a boat and Austin is taken away from me, and then this happens and it's in our backyard. And then to find out that alcohol is involved — it's so preventable."

As for Michelle, she says she feels like she has to step up. She says she doesn't want to disappoint her.

"I remind myself everyday the morals she instilled in me and the respect and I'm going to keep repeating that because the world needs more of it," she said.

Stevenson remained in custody Wednesday and was due back in court on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Meanwhile, Jablonska's family is raising money in her memory to support local dog shelters — a cause that was close to her heart.