Boaters share safety lessons after deadly boating accident on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin
Boaters are being reminded to take safety precautions after three children were killed on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin when a boat capsized during a severe storm on Friday.
The passengers were from Batavia, Wheaton, and Fontana in Wisconsin.
Conditions last Friday on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin were rough as a storm ripped through—winds were estimated to have reached up to 100 miles per hour.
"Our captain told us, you need to grab life vests, you need to prepare for if we were to, you know, capsize, and you need to be aware of your surroundings," said boater Adam Teitelbaum.
As the storm worsened and visibility reduced, police in Lake Geneva say an experienced boat operator was overcome by at least two massive waves, causing the boat to capsize.
The bodies of three kids—ages 10, 7 and 6—were recovered inside the cabin of the sunken boat. Seven others on board survived. All at the time were wearing life vests, according to police.
On Lake Michigan, Master Captain Lisa Dixon says if anything comes from the tragedy, it's that other boaters will use the incident as a learning opportunity.
"Going down below in the cabin is not always the safest place," she said. "Once a vessel capsizes, the water rushes in quickly. It's hard to escape that.
Dixon with Boat Safe Chicago says she checks multiple weather apps before and while she's at the helm, she always has a plan if weather hits suddenly
"As the captain, you are responsible for everyone on board," she said. "I will have everyone put a life jacket on if I think the weather is going to be really severe and then I will start to navigate us back to the dock."
Last Friday on Lake Geneva, water patrol alerted boaters to seek safety at least 30 minutes before the storm hit.
"We run the red flags and our red flashing lights and go around the entire lake with that display to let people know that there is a storm approaching," Ted Pankau, director of Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol.
School District 200 in Wheaton says students enrolled in the district died in the boating accident. However, they did not confirm how many.
